Substantial new funding essential if Canada to avoid danger of being sidelined in astronomy and astrophysics: report

A panel of experts created to examine Canada's role in international astronomy and astrophysics is warning that the country will be sidelined as a significant player unless $264 million is pumped into training and research over the next 10 years. The report comes at a time when new types of ground and space-based observatories are in development, promising an explosion of knowledge on planetary systems formation, stars, galaxies and the structure of the universe itself. Yet without an adequate degree of participation, Canadian researchers will be unable to fully participate and build on past successes of the scientific community.

In the coming years, research will depend upon a "carefully designed, interwoven and complementary set of observatories" and Canada must come to the table as an equal player or risk reinforcing a growing consensus that Canada is becoming a freeloader in the area of international science and technology. The Long Range Planning Panel's (LRPP) plan examines the astronomy and astrophysics fields from a variety of angles, including its computational, educational, cultural and economic impacts.

Following 18 months of consultation and discussion, the LRPP of the National Research Council (NRC) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) completed a report entitled The Origins of Structure in the Universe slated for release at the end of this month.

The process also enjoyed the full participation of the Canadian Astronomical Society, with its five sub-committees extensively consulted in the areas of radio, optical and infrared, space, theory and education. There was also an ad hoc committee on computation.

It proposes an investment of $147 million in NRC programs, as well as $100 million for space-based programs through the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and $17 million via NSERC to support university-based research in order to take advantage of new observatories.

The proposed increases for NSERC and the NRC would nearly double current spending, which is pegged at a modest $21.8 million annually.

In addition to the spending increases, the LRPP makes a series of 19 recommendations on how Canada can best participate on the international stage. These include:

• joining the Atacama Large Millimeter Array project, a major ground-based observatory;

• participating in the Next Generation Space Telescope projects through the CSA;

• establishing a team to develop designs for a very large optical telescope;

• creating university laboratories for experimental astrophysics;

• developing the NRC's ability to manage archives of data from upcoming space- and ground-based observatories; and,

• reaffirming Canada's commitment to the Gemini project over the coming decade.

The LRPP is also cognizant of the heightened importance currently placed on the economic impact of research, and includes a chapter on the economic impacts of the plan's implementation. It includes specific examples of economic benefits and is an invaluable overview of the many sectors in which astronomy and astrophysics play a significant role.

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