Final Report Summary - GO-SKA (GO-SKA: A proposal for coordinating & supporting policy development of the global organisation of the Square Kilometre Array)
Executive Summary:
The SKA is the next-generation radio telescope. It will be, once complete, the largest scientific facility on Earth and will address a broad range of key science areas in astronomy and fundamental physics, allowing for a transformational view of the Universe. The telescope will have antennas spread across several thousand kilometres on two continents (Africa and Australia). It is an unique scientific Project in its global representation of stakeholders with 11 member countries (Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, China, India and New Zealand) whose inhabitants represent 40% of the world’s population. The impact on ICT, Energy, industry and public services and social development are potentially unparalleled. A compelling case can be made to supplement the excellent science case. The detailed design is due to be complete in 2017 at which point, assuming funding has been approved, Phase 1 of the SKA will move to construction.
GO-SKA, a EC FP7 funded policy support project for SKA, began its work in late 2011, just before the SKA Organisation (SKAO) was established as a legal entity for the pre-construction phase of SKA. The principal objective of GO-SKA was to support the new SKAO in the development of its detailed policy in the domains of governance, funding, procurement and societal and economic benefits:
- Broaden and strengthen the involvement of funding agencies and governments around the globe
- Establish world-wide partnerships between industry and the SKA
- Prepare the establishment of global governance for the SKA Organisation; and
- Develop strategies to further define the conditions by which non-scientific benefits from large scale research infrastructures can best be integrated into investment decision-making
Since the project was, and is, extremely dynamic, GO-SKA had, necessarily, to be 'light on its feet' and therefore was able to respond rapidly to new directions and a changing environment: this it did very well. GO-SKA’s results and impact show the importance of dedicated policy support provided by stakeholder organisations. The EC’s contribution through GO-SKA was crucial to make this happen. Most of the policy activities and documents of the SKA Board’s 'Key Document Set' originate from GO-SKA work in the domains of governance, funding, procurement and societal and economic benefits: the topics of the GO-SKA work packages.
GO-SKA work was building on the results of the EC FP7 funded PrepSKA project (2008-2012), and continued the policy work where PrepSKA has stopped. The EC funding could not have more efficiently spent because the SKA Project policy development was ensured of continuation of a valued source of expertise and support. This is underlined by the positive evaluation of GO-SKA work by the DG of the SKAO and the chair of the SKAO Board’s Strategy and Business Development Committee (StratCom). GO-SKA provided a body of knowledge and experience for the SKA Project and other large-scale research infrastructures. GO-SKA leaves the groundwork towards the establishment of the SKA Intergovernmental Treaty Organisation and the Business Case for SKA1 behind as a legacy. The approach to actively engage with all participants of the SKA throughout the GO-SKA Project meant that workshops and the resulting work products met the needs of the global participants in the project and had their support. The GO-SKA Project in its approach modelled the behavior to build a global collaboration.
All GO-SKA work packages contributed to the development of the “Key Document Set” that the StratCom recommended to SKA Board in March 2015. The Key Document Set is the base-documentation to start off the formal intergovernmental negotiation process towards the founding of an International Treaty Organisation. The GO-SKA work was successful through alignment with StratCom’s policy work program and by organising and supporting (global) activities and expert studies to support StratCom’s work.
The GO-SKA activities impacted the policy development in areas such as the development of the SKAO’s Policy Timeline, funding principles (Funding Model) for SKA1 and access policy, the future governance structure (based on GO-SKA’s contributions to the preferred legal framework, governance principles, basic set of Privileges and Immunities), the Transition Governance Plan, including a Letter of Intent signed by governments, the Principles for the Procurement Policy (proposed by GO-SKA’s Procurement Handbook). GO-SKA also contributed to the Societal Impact & Investment case of SKA through the Prospectus Workshop, the Radio Astronomy Impact Study, its Analysis on enlarging industrial engagement, and the Recommendations on using the innovation potential and the lighthouse character of the SKA in the areas of Information and Communication Technology, Energy and Climate Change and in the STEM education and capacity building. Through all its activities GO-SKA was successful in raising the awareness in a wider community than the SKA project.
Project Context and Objectives:
GO-SKA, a EC FP7 funded policy support project for SKA, began its work in late 2011, just before the SKA Organisation (SKAO) was established as a legal entity for the pre-construction phase of SKA. The principal objective of GO-SKA was to support the new SKAO in the development of its detailed policy in the domains of governance, funding, procurement and societal and economic benefits:
- Broaden and strengthen the involvement of funding agencies and governments around the globe
- Establish world-wide partnerships between industry and the SKA
- Prepare the establishment of global governance for the SKA Organisation; and
- Develop strategies to further define the conditions by which non-scientific benefits from large scale research infrastructures can best be integrated into investment decision-making
Since the project was, and is, extremely dynamic, GO-SKA had, necessarily, to be 'light on its feet' and therefore was able to respond rapidly to new directions and a changing environment: this it did very well. GO-SKA’s results and impact show the importance of dedicated policy support provided by stakeholder organisations. The EC’s contribution through GO-SKA was crucial to make this happen. Most of the policy activities and documents of the SKA Board’s 'Key Document Set' originate from GO-SKA work in the domains of governance, funding, procurement and societal and economic benefits: the topics of the GO-SKA work packages.
GO-SKA work was building on the results of the EC FP7 funded PrepSKA project (2008-2012), and continued the policy work where PrepSKA has stopped. Whereas PrepSKA has assembled the best options for the SKA, GO-SKA focused on the further development and
implementation during the next stage of the SKA Project.The EC funding could not have more efficiently spent because the SKA Project policy development was ensured of continuation of a valued source of expertise and support. This is underlined by the positive evaluation of GO-SKA work by the DG of the SKAO and the chair of the SKAO Board’s Strategy and Business Development Committee (StratCom). GO-SKA provided a body of knowledge and experience for the SKA Project and other large-scale research infrastructures. GO-SKA leaves the groundwork towards the establishment of the SKA Intergovernmental Treaty Organisation and the Business Case for SKA1 behind as a legacy. The approach to actively engage with all participants of the SKA throughout the GO-SKA Project meant that workshops and the resulting work products met the needs of the global participants in the project and had their support. The GO-SKA Project in its approach modelled the behavior to build a global collaboration.
In order to allow a full and effective execution of the GO-SKA project and its objectives, a good collaboration
between the project and the SKA Organisation was essential. Due to the simultaneous start of the GO-SKA Project
and the establishment of the SKA Organisation, the cooperation between the entities shaped up graduately. Both the
appointment of Prof. Phil Diamond as the SKA Director General (September 2012) and the SKA Board
decision to establish a Strategy and Business Development Commission (StratCom, April, 2013) allowed for
a clear definition of the working arrangements between the SKA Organisation, the StratCom and the GO-SKA
Project. As a result, GO-SKA has updated the Description of Work. Some of the deliverables and milestones of
the work packages have been altered to better accommodate the needs of the SKA Organisation, but the overall
GO-SKA objectives remain unchanged.
Project Results:
In order to allow a full and effective execution of the GO-SKA project and its objectives, a good collaboration
between the project and the SKA Organisation was essential. The output of all GO-SKA workpackages was integrated in the Work Plan and contributed to the development of the Key Document Set of the Strat Com. The GO-SKA support action has been very successful in assisting in policy development of the SKA Organisation in the transition process towards the future governance structure. The GO-SKA Project was completed when the policy related part of the Key Document Set was brought to the SKA Board in March 2015.
Although the GO-SKA Project was coordinated by European stakeholders in the SKA Project it has ensured that all its activities were focused on the global interests of the SKA partners. All its activities were organised in a global setting, with participation from all SKA Members and associated Members. The GO-SKA legacy to the SKA Project is the groundwork towards the establishment of the SKA Intergovernmental Treaty Organisation.
One of the aims of the Strat Com work Plan was to develop a Key Document Set consisting of all technical and policy Key Documents to provide a starting point for the intergovernmental negotiations towards forming an international treaty organisation for SKA. To converge their work it was essential that expertise and activities from the GO-SKA work packages was brought into the Strat Com. As such, SKA Strat Com and the GO-SKA Project teamed up to realise their aims: to develop the key policy documents needed to prepare and bring the project to the next phase of SKA (Construction and Operations). Although the GO-SKA Project was coordinated by European stakeholders in the SKA Project it has ensured that all its activities focused on the global interests of the SKA partners. GO-SKA has been a successful contribution to the Global Organisation of the SKA Project and so realised its goals.
The work plan of the Strat Com and the GO-SKA activities were combined and aligned with the milestones of the policy timeline of the Strat Com.
The work plan of the Strat Com consisted of 5 work streams with the following tasks (annex I):
1. Organisation:
a. to develop governance and future legal structure
b. transition plan to new structure
2. Funding: structure, cash/in-kind, procurement
3. Impact case and recruitment: industry engagement, broadening membership, non-science impact
4. Case for investment: development of the SKA Prospectus including the Key Document Set.
The policy related parts of the Key Document Set were in part developed using the GO-SKA output.
The full Key Document Set consists of: Treaty/Observatory Agreement, Governance arrangements for transition, Funding Plan, Procurement Policy, Intellectual Property Policy, Hosting Agreements, Construction Plan, Science Case, Technical Design.
The SKA Prospectus will provide an executive summary describing the SKA Project in short, including the innovation case. The complete documentation behind will consist of all technical and policy Key Documents (the Key Document Set) that will become available for enabling the start of the formal negotiations with Member governments. According to SKAO’s Policy timeline the aimed start of that process is Spring 2015.
The activities of the GO-SKA Work packages resulted in:
- WP2, workshops of the Funding Task Force, Funding Principles, involvement of current and potential SKA Members for SKA1, impact study on global Radio Astronomy.
- WP3, Initial Roadmap, Integrated timeline of key decisions and dependencies, Governance workshop resulting in a recommendation of a preferred legal framework, lead of Transition Governance and Privileges and Immunities Strat Com work streams and input of legal and governance expertise, Strat Com workshop and the Prospectus workshop.
- WP4, Procurement Handbook, Procurement workshop (SKA Board), development of procurement principles and process, an analysis of enlarging industrial involvement.
- WP5, Development of SKA Brochures, Workshops and Recommendations on the global challenges and societal impact of SKA in the areas Big Data, Energy and Human Capital.
These results helped achieve the aim of the Strat Com work plan and helped the SKA Organisation to build the Key Set of Documents that supports the decision making in the participating countries and potentially interested countries world-wide to engage in building and operating the global SKA from 2018 onwards.
Potential Impact:
GO-SKA work was building on the results of the EC FP7 funded PrepSKA project (2008-2012), and continued the policy work where PrepSKA has stopped. The EC funding could not have more efficiently spent because the SKA Project policy development was ensured of continuation of a valued source of expertise and support. This is underlined by the positive evaluation of GO-SKA work by the DG of the SKAO and the chair of the SKAO Board’s Strategy and Business Development Committee (StratCom). GO-SKA provided a body of knowledge and experience for the SKA Project and other large-scale research infrastructures. GO-SKA leaves the groundwork towards the establishment of the SKA Intergovernmental Treaty Organisation and the Business Case for SKA1 behind as a legacy. The approach to actively engage with all participants of the SKA throughout the GO-SKA Project meant that workshops and the resulting work products met the needs of the global participants in the project and had their support. The GO-SKA Project in its approach modelled the behavior to build a global collaboration.
All GO-SKA work packages contributed to the development of the “Key Document Set” that the StratCom recommended to SKA Board in March 2015. The Key Document Set is the base-documentation to start off the formal intergovernmental negotiation process towards the founding of an International Treaty Organisation. The GO-SKA work was successful through alignment with StratCom’s policy work program and by organising and supporting (global) activities and expert studies to support StratCom’s work.
The GO-SKA activities impacted the policy development in areas such as the development of the SKAO’s Policy Timeline, funding principles (Funding Model) for SKA1 and access policy, the future governance structure (based on GO-SKA’s contributions to the preferred legal framework, governance principles, basic set of Privileges and Immunities), the Transition Governance Plan, including a Letter of Intent signed by governments, the Principles for the Procurement Policy (proposed by GO-SKA’s Procurement Handbook). GO-SKA also contributed to the Societal Impact & Investment case of SKA through the Prospectus Workshop, the Radio Astronomy Impact Study, its Analysis on enlarging industrial engagement, and the Recommendations on using the innovation potential and the lighthouse character of the SKA in the areas of Information and Communication Technology, Energy and Climate Change and in the STEM education and capacity building. Through all its activities GO-SKA was successful in raising the awareness in a wider community than the SKA project.
GO-SKA has increased broader awareness on the SKA Project e.g. in the course of preparing and organizing the GO-SKA workshops.
The GO-SKA workshops not only resulted in useful recommendations to the SKA Organisation or Strat Com on the various topics, such as governance, procurement and the impact of societal and economif benefits for the SKA Project but also provided for an opportunity to exchange experience and findings with the audience and invited speakers, originating from a wider community.
And in the SKA Prospectus Workshop all presentations were videotaped and handed over to the SKA Office communications office as footage for their outreach material. Also was the key-note speech of Jill Tarter, director of SETI, uploaded to You Tube and the indico-site with all (background) material for the workshop was handed over to the SKA Office.
Further it was agreed with the SKA Organisation that they will keep on hosting the GO-SKA website. In the immediate future we intend to update the website with the Final publishable summary, "appreciation quotes" from the DG SKAO and the chair of the Strat Com and update the contact details. In this way the source of knowledge which was build up in GO-SKA remains accessible for other research infrastructure initiatives and inviting to exchange of experience and lessons learnt.
List of Websites:
https://www.skatelescope.org/?s=GO-SKA
The SKA is the next-generation radio telescope. It will be, once complete, the largest scientific facility on Earth and will address a broad range of key science areas in astronomy and fundamental physics, allowing for a transformational view of the Universe. The telescope will have antennas spread across several thousand kilometres on two continents (Africa and Australia). It is an unique scientific Project in its global representation of stakeholders with 11 member countries (Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, China, India and New Zealand) whose inhabitants represent 40% of the world’s population. The impact on ICT, Energy, industry and public services and social development are potentially unparalleled. A compelling case can be made to supplement the excellent science case. The detailed design is due to be complete in 2017 at which point, assuming funding has been approved, Phase 1 of the SKA will move to construction.
GO-SKA, a EC FP7 funded policy support project for SKA, began its work in late 2011, just before the SKA Organisation (SKAO) was established as a legal entity for the pre-construction phase of SKA. The principal objective of GO-SKA was to support the new SKAO in the development of its detailed policy in the domains of governance, funding, procurement and societal and economic benefits:
- Broaden and strengthen the involvement of funding agencies and governments around the globe
- Establish world-wide partnerships between industry and the SKA
- Prepare the establishment of global governance for the SKA Organisation; and
- Develop strategies to further define the conditions by which non-scientific benefits from large scale research infrastructures can best be integrated into investment decision-making
Since the project was, and is, extremely dynamic, GO-SKA had, necessarily, to be 'light on its feet' and therefore was able to respond rapidly to new directions and a changing environment: this it did very well. GO-SKA’s results and impact show the importance of dedicated policy support provided by stakeholder organisations. The EC’s contribution through GO-SKA was crucial to make this happen. Most of the policy activities and documents of the SKA Board’s 'Key Document Set' originate from GO-SKA work in the domains of governance, funding, procurement and societal and economic benefits: the topics of the GO-SKA work packages.
GO-SKA work was building on the results of the EC FP7 funded PrepSKA project (2008-2012), and continued the policy work where PrepSKA has stopped. The EC funding could not have more efficiently spent because the SKA Project policy development was ensured of continuation of a valued source of expertise and support. This is underlined by the positive evaluation of GO-SKA work by the DG of the SKAO and the chair of the SKAO Board’s Strategy and Business Development Committee (StratCom). GO-SKA provided a body of knowledge and experience for the SKA Project and other large-scale research infrastructures. GO-SKA leaves the groundwork towards the establishment of the SKA Intergovernmental Treaty Organisation and the Business Case for SKA1 behind as a legacy. The approach to actively engage with all participants of the SKA throughout the GO-SKA Project meant that workshops and the resulting work products met the needs of the global participants in the project and had their support. The GO-SKA Project in its approach modelled the behavior to build a global collaboration.
All GO-SKA work packages contributed to the development of the “Key Document Set” that the StratCom recommended to SKA Board in March 2015. The Key Document Set is the base-documentation to start off the formal intergovernmental negotiation process towards the founding of an International Treaty Organisation. The GO-SKA work was successful through alignment with StratCom’s policy work program and by organising and supporting (global) activities and expert studies to support StratCom’s work.
The GO-SKA activities impacted the policy development in areas such as the development of the SKAO’s Policy Timeline, funding principles (Funding Model) for SKA1 and access policy, the future governance structure (based on GO-SKA’s contributions to the preferred legal framework, governance principles, basic set of Privileges and Immunities), the Transition Governance Plan, including a Letter of Intent signed by governments, the Principles for the Procurement Policy (proposed by GO-SKA’s Procurement Handbook). GO-SKA also contributed to the Societal Impact & Investment case of SKA through the Prospectus Workshop, the Radio Astronomy Impact Study, its Analysis on enlarging industrial engagement, and the Recommendations on using the innovation potential and the lighthouse character of the SKA in the areas of Information and Communication Technology, Energy and Climate Change and in the STEM education and capacity building. Through all its activities GO-SKA was successful in raising the awareness in a wider community than the SKA project.
Project Context and Objectives:
GO-SKA, a EC FP7 funded policy support project for SKA, began its work in late 2011, just before the SKA Organisation (SKAO) was established as a legal entity for the pre-construction phase of SKA. The principal objective of GO-SKA was to support the new SKAO in the development of its detailed policy in the domains of governance, funding, procurement and societal and economic benefits:
- Broaden and strengthen the involvement of funding agencies and governments around the globe
- Establish world-wide partnerships between industry and the SKA
- Prepare the establishment of global governance for the SKA Organisation; and
- Develop strategies to further define the conditions by which non-scientific benefits from large scale research infrastructures can best be integrated into investment decision-making
Since the project was, and is, extremely dynamic, GO-SKA had, necessarily, to be 'light on its feet' and therefore was able to respond rapidly to new directions and a changing environment: this it did very well. GO-SKA’s results and impact show the importance of dedicated policy support provided by stakeholder organisations. The EC’s contribution through GO-SKA was crucial to make this happen. Most of the policy activities and documents of the SKA Board’s 'Key Document Set' originate from GO-SKA work in the domains of governance, funding, procurement and societal and economic benefits: the topics of the GO-SKA work packages.
GO-SKA work was building on the results of the EC FP7 funded PrepSKA project (2008-2012), and continued the policy work where PrepSKA has stopped. Whereas PrepSKA has assembled the best options for the SKA, GO-SKA focused on the further development and
implementation during the next stage of the SKA Project.The EC funding could not have more efficiently spent because the SKA Project policy development was ensured of continuation of a valued source of expertise and support. This is underlined by the positive evaluation of GO-SKA work by the DG of the SKAO and the chair of the SKAO Board’s Strategy and Business Development Committee (StratCom). GO-SKA provided a body of knowledge and experience for the SKA Project and other large-scale research infrastructures. GO-SKA leaves the groundwork towards the establishment of the SKA Intergovernmental Treaty Organisation and the Business Case for SKA1 behind as a legacy. The approach to actively engage with all participants of the SKA throughout the GO-SKA Project meant that workshops and the resulting work products met the needs of the global participants in the project and had their support. The GO-SKA Project in its approach modelled the behavior to build a global collaboration.
In order to allow a full and effective execution of the GO-SKA project and its objectives, a good collaboration
between the project and the SKA Organisation was essential. Due to the simultaneous start of the GO-SKA Project
and the establishment of the SKA Organisation, the cooperation between the entities shaped up graduately. Both the
appointment of Prof. Phil Diamond as the SKA Director General (September 2012) and the SKA Board
decision to establish a Strategy and Business Development Commission (StratCom, April, 2013) allowed for
a clear definition of the working arrangements between the SKA Organisation, the StratCom and the GO-SKA
Project. As a result, GO-SKA has updated the Description of Work. Some of the deliverables and milestones of
the work packages have been altered to better accommodate the needs of the SKA Organisation, but the overall
GO-SKA objectives remain unchanged.
Project Results:
In order to allow a full and effective execution of the GO-SKA project and its objectives, a good collaboration
between the project and the SKA Organisation was essential. The output of all GO-SKA workpackages was integrated in the Work Plan and contributed to the development of the Key Document Set of the Strat Com. The GO-SKA support action has been very successful in assisting in policy development of the SKA Organisation in the transition process towards the future governance structure. The GO-SKA Project was completed when the policy related part of the Key Document Set was brought to the SKA Board in March 2015.
Although the GO-SKA Project was coordinated by European stakeholders in the SKA Project it has ensured that all its activities were focused on the global interests of the SKA partners. All its activities were organised in a global setting, with participation from all SKA Members and associated Members. The GO-SKA legacy to the SKA Project is the groundwork towards the establishment of the SKA Intergovernmental Treaty Organisation.
One of the aims of the Strat Com work Plan was to develop a Key Document Set consisting of all technical and policy Key Documents to provide a starting point for the intergovernmental negotiations towards forming an international treaty organisation for SKA. To converge their work it was essential that expertise and activities from the GO-SKA work packages was brought into the Strat Com. As such, SKA Strat Com and the GO-SKA Project teamed up to realise their aims: to develop the key policy documents needed to prepare and bring the project to the next phase of SKA (Construction and Operations). Although the GO-SKA Project was coordinated by European stakeholders in the SKA Project it has ensured that all its activities focused on the global interests of the SKA partners. GO-SKA has been a successful contribution to the Global Organisation of the SKA Project and so realised its goals.
The work plan of the Strat Com and the GO-SKA activities were combined and aligned with the milestones of the policy timeline of the Strat Com.
The work plan of the Strat Com consisted of 5 work streams with the following tasks (annex I):
1. Organisation:
a. to develop governance and future legal structure
b. transition plan to new structure
2. Funding: structure, cash/in-kind, procurement
3. Impact case and recruitment: industry engagement, broadening membership, non-science impact
4. Case for investment: development of the SKA Prospectus including the Key Document Set.
The policy related parts of the Key Document Set were in part developed using the GO-SKA output.
The full Key Document Set consists of: Treaty/Observatory Agreement, Governance arrangements for transition, Funding Plan, Procurement Policy, Intellectual Property Policy, Hosting Agreements, Construction Plan, Science Case, Technical Design.
The SKA Prospectus will provide an executive summary describing the SKA Project in short, including the innovation case. The complete documentation behind will consist of all technical and policy Key Documents (the Key Document Set) that will become available for enabling the start of the formal negotiations with Member governments. According to SKAO’s Policy timeline the aimed start of that process is Spring 2015.
The activities of the GO-SKA Work packages resulted in:
- WP2, workshops of the Funding Task Force, Funding Principles, involvement of current and potential SKA Members for SKA1, impact study on global Radio Astronomy.
- WP3, Initial Roadmap, Integrated timeline of key decisions and dependencies, Governance workshop resulting in a recommendation of a preferred legal framework, lead of Transition Governance and Privileges and Immunities Strat Com work streams and input of legal and governance expertise, Strat Com workshop and the Prospectus workshop.
- WP4, Procurement Handbook, Procurement workshop (SKA Board), development of procurement principles and process, an analysis of enlarging industrial involvement.
- WP5, Development of SKA Brochures, Workshops and Recommendations on the global challenges and societal impact of SKA in the areas Big Data, Energy and Human Capital.
These results helped achieve the aim of the Strat Com work plan and helped the SKA Organisation to build the Key Set of Documents that supports the decision making in the participating countries and potentially interested countries world-wide to engage in building and operating the global SKA from 2018 onwards.
Potential Impact:
GO-SKA work was building on the results of the EC FP7 funded PrepSKA project (2008-2012), and continued the policy work where PrepSKA has stopped. The EC funding could not have more efficiently spent because the SKA Project policy development was ensured of continuation of a valued source of expertise and support. This is underlined by the positive evaluation of GO-SKA work by the DG of the SKAO and the chair of the SKAO Board’s Strategy and Business Development Committee (StratCom). GO-SKA provided a body of knowledge and experience for the SKA Project and other large-scale research infrastructures. GO-SKA leaves the groundwork towards the establishment of the SKA Intergovernmental Treaty Organisation and the Business Case for SKA1 behind as a legacy. The approach to actively engage with all participants of the SKA throughout the GO-SKA Project meant that workshops and the resulting work products met the needs of the global participants in the project and had their support. The GO-SKA Project in its approach modelled the behavior to build a global collaboration.
All GO-SKA work packages contributed to the development of the “Key Document Set” that the StratCom recommended to SKA Board in March 2015. The Key Document Set is the base-documentation to start off the formal intergovernmental negotiation process towards the founding of an International Treaty Organisation. The GO-SKA work was successful through alignment with StratCom’s policy work program and by organising and supporting (global) activities and expert studies to support StratCom’s work.
The GO-SKA activities impacted the policy development in areas such as the development of the SKAO’s Policy Timeline, funding principles (Funding Model) for SKA1 and access policy, the future governance structure (based on GO-SKA’s contributions to the preferred legal framework, governance principles, basic set of Privileges and Immunities), the Transition Governance Plan, including a Letter of Intent signed by governments, the Principles for the Procurement Policy (proposed by GO-SKA’s Procurement Handbook). GO-SKA also contributed to the Societal Impact & Investment case of SKA through the Prospectus Workshop, the Radio Astronomy Impact Study, its Analysis on enlarging industrial engagement, and the Recommendations on using the innovation potential and the lighthouse character of the SKA in the areas of Information and Communication Technology, Energy and Climate Change and in the STEM education and capacity building. Through all its activities GO-SKA was successful in raising the awareness in a wider community than the SKA project.
GO-SKA has increased broader awareness on the SKA Project e.g. in the course of preparing and organizing the GO-SKA workshops.
The GO-SKA workshops not only resulted in useful recommendations to the SKA Organisation or Strat Com on the various topics, such as governance, procurement and the impact of societal and economif benefits for the SKA Project but also provided for an opportunity to exchange experience and findings with the audience and invited speakers, originating from a wider community.
And in the SKA Prospectus Workshop all presentations were videotaped and handed over to the SKA Office communications office as footage for their outreach material. Also was the key-note speech of Jill Tarter, director of SETI, uploaded to You Tube and the indico-site with all (background) material for the workshop was handed over to the SKA Office.
Further it was agreed with the SKA Organisation that they will keep on hosting the GO-SKA website. In the immediate future we intend to update the website with the Final publishable summary, "appreciation quotes" from the DG SKAO and the chair of the Strat Com and update the contact details. In this way the source of knowledge which was build up in GO-SKA remains accessible for other research infrastructure initiatives and inviting to exchange of experience and lessons learnt.
List of Websites:
https://www.skatelescope.org/?s=GO-SKA
