SA Science @ Synchrotrons - Business Plan and Strategic Planning Workshop

1 Dec 2011, 08:00 → 2 Dec 2011, 18:00 Africa/Johannesburg

St George Hotel & Conference Centre

Tshepo Ntsoane (SRRIC CHAIRPERSON - NECSA)

The South African Synchrotron Community through SRRIC is organizing a Business Plan meeting on the future of Synchrotron Radiation Science in South Africa on the 1st and 2nd of December 2011
The workshop will bring together representatives of the South African synchrotron user community and international experts to thrash out a coherent strategy for the future use of synchrotron radiation in South Africa. The discussions will be collated to craft a Business Plan to guide government and the user community in mapping the road ahead on synchrotron radiation use in South Africa.
The meeting will host a maximum of 40 delegates, 7 representatives of international synchrotron facilities, 1 facilitator, 2 delegates from the DST/NRF, and ~30 representatives of SRRIC and South African synchrotron users.
Synchrotron users in South Africa are invited to participate and contribute their views. Please discuss before hand experiences on the issues and challenges specific to your discipline with other delegates of your discipline prior to the meeting.

Thursday, 1 December

08:00 → 08:30 Welcome and Registration

08:30 → 09:00 Welcome, Define goals of the Workshop

1. Welcome remarks & desired outcomes
2. Discussion on:
   • Necessity to focus on 3-5 synchrotrons
   • Ad-hoc access in cases of merit (unique instrument, unique collaborators)
   • Some kind of increased level of SA commitment on Synchrotron Science
   • Invest in a item of equipment, or in part/all of a beam line
   • Long term deployment of all/part of a post doc at a synchrotron
   • Any local facilities that support access that are under-represented
   • Possibility of a technical person deployment
   • Membership status of some kind
   • Former Brookhaven machine
   • Establish a programme with a director and a structure to oversee Synchrotron Science

09:00 → 10:00 User presentations (10 minutes each)

Presentations to include :
• Research review for the past, current and future plans
• Identify synchrotrons used, instruments used, justify choice of facility
• Identify collaborators, describe collaborative activities
• Outputs - students, theses, papers
• Importance of synchrotrons in program
• Preferences regarding the proposal to focus on
• Preferences regarding the proposal to invest in an instrument, beam-line, facility

10:00 → 10:30 TEA BREAK

10:30 → 13:00 User presentations (10 minutes each)

Presentations to include :
• Research review for the past, current and future plans
• Identify synchrotrons used, instruments used, justify choice of facility
• Identify collaborators, describe collaborative activities
• Outputs - students, theses, papers
• Importance of synchrotrons in program
• Preferences regarding the proposal to focus on
• Preferences regarding the proposal to invest in an instrument, beam-line, facility

13:00 → 14:00 LUNCH BREAK

14:00 → 15:00 Synchrotron Directors or their delegated representative presentations

Overview of facilities
• System of Access, Funding Structure of the Facility, Membership details
• Plan of access to be offered to South Africa for next two years, the two years after that, and the following two years
• Could include ad hoc access with no charge, based on merit, based on co-applications with a member group
• How long could such a situation be sustained, what are its implications?
• What level of financial participation from South Africa would be required in short, medium and longer terms

15:00 → 15:30 TEA BREAK

15:30 → 16:00 Synchrotron Directors or their delegated representative presentations

Overview of facilities
• System of Access, Funding Structure of the Facility, Membership details
• Plan of access to be offered to South Africa for next two years, the two years after that, and the following two years
• Could include ad hoc access with no charge, based on merit, based on co-applications with a member group
• How long could such a situation be sustained, what are its implications?
• What level of financial participation from South Africa would be required in short, medium and longer terms

16:00 → 17:00 Department of Science and Technology Input

DST Strategic Thinking - DST analysis of the relationship of the input during the day to its strategic thinking

Friday, 2 December

08:30 → 10:00 Structured Panel discussions on the various roadmap details

Discussions on
• Issues of interest raised the previous day
• Agreements on way forward for synchrotrons research in South Africa

10:00 → 10:30 TEA BREAK

10:30 → 13:00 Structured Panel discussions on the various roadmap details

Discussions on
• Issues of interest raised the previous day
• Agreements on way forward for synchrotrons research in South Africa

13:00 → 14:00 LUNCH BREAK

14:00 → 15:00 Presentatotion on Keys Issues & Way Forward

15:00 → 15:30 TEA BREAK

15:30 → 16:00 Vote of Thanks and Departure