PWASC: Terms of Reference
Background
The establishment of the Plasma
Wakefield Accelerator Steering Committee (PWASC) is motivated by the worldwide
success and growth of the plasma wakefield accelerator area, and its
transformative and enabling impact for applications across various areas of
natural, material and life sciences. The last years have shown that there is a strongly
increasing activity in the field, and at the same time the maturity of
underpinning technology continues to advance at rapid pace. The global growth
of plasma wakefield accelerator R&D and increasing international investment
and competition requires the development of a coherent and sustainable plan for
national collaboration in order to maintain and further the UK’s lead in the
field. This area is inherently of cross-Research Council remit which implies an
especially broad approach. The need to increase coordination, collaboration and
investment is highlighted for example by the UK Accelerator Review Panel Report
2014; and is strongly supported by the Accelerator Strategy Board ASB. Along
with EPSRC-funded activities, plasma acceleration is now a major pillar also in
the R&D of the UK Accelerator Institutes, the Cockcroft Institute and the
John Adams Institute, who support the formation of the PWASC.
Experimental research in
the UK on plasma wakefield acceleration continues to be undertaken at the Central
Laser Facility (CLF), complemented by major university centres such as the
Scottish Centre for the Application of Plasma-based Accelerators (SCAPA) and
various leading university groups, and is enhanced by opportunities for
particle beam-driven plasma accelerators at ASTeC/Daresbury Laboratory.
UK groups further have
leadership roles in international plasma wakefield accelerator projects such as
at CERN, SLAC, DESY, ELI, within EuPRAXIA and others.
At a community-wide meeting
at CLF in 02/2016, the formation of a UK-wide Plasma Wakefield Accelerator
Steering Committee (PWASC) was
decided. A first constituting meeting of the PWASC took place at Daresbury Laboratory in 07/2016. The following Terms of Reference describe the role,
charge and goals of the PWASC in the
UK landscape, and the modus operandi of the PWASC
in order to reach these goals. Both may be revised to adapt best as possible to
the evolving national and international landscape and challenges. The PWASC is charged by the wider UK plasma
accelerator Community and reports to this Community.
Terms of reference
- Maintain an overview of activities within the
area
-
Develop a coherent strategy and roadmap for the
development and application of plasma acceleration in the UK
-
Consider international roadmaps and implications
of large international projects and developments in the field
-
Initiate joint activities and actions supporting
the goals on the UK roadmap, and to support growth of the field in the UK
-
Identify opportunities for, and support
coordination of, research proposals to national and international Research
Councils and agencies
-
Prepare for windfall funding opportunities,
including prioritisation considerations
-
Explore additional innovative funding and
collaboration mechanisms
-
Inform and support Research Councils in the
development of targeted funding calls
-
Support Research Councils with assessment and
review processes, calls for evidence etc.
-
Increase awareness of grant applications and
success ratios at various Research Councils, with the aim of supporting
Research Council understanding of the fundamental underpinning impact and
further growth of the area
Guiding principles and initial Modus Operandi
Several requirements and
guiding principles were identified in order to ensure proper functioning of the
PWASC. The Committee:
- Shall represent the whole community
- Shall be of a manageable size
- Shall foster collaboration between different
groups across the UK
- Shall be an independent body, capable to provide
a cross-national viewpoint
- Shall be inclusive and have flat hierarchy
- Shall support growth of the field by being open
to include further organisations as members
The Committee as of 2016 is composed of one representative each
from:
UK universities:
- Imperial College London
- Queens University Belfast
-
University College London
-
University of Lancaster
-
University of Liverpool
-
University of Manchester
-
University of Oxford
-
University of St Andrews
-
University of Strathclyde
-
University of York
Other institutions:
- Central Laser Facility CLF
-
Accelerator Science and Technology Centre ASTeC
-
STFC Accelerator Strategy Board (if possible, in
dual role with being a Committee representative e.g. from a university)
An initial modus operandi is as follows:
- Meetings with representatives from each member
organisation are to be held every 3-6 months along with more frequent meetings
as necessary, e.g. when focusing on roadmap development efforts, joint R&D
programme development efforts etc.
- Each member organization has one seat on the Committee, and each member organization
has full authority in determining the representative.
- In order to find a proper balance between
continuity and rotation, it is expected that representatives will serve for a
duration of ~3 years.
- Each representative is responsible for proper communication and discussions with their colleagues at their home organization.
- Members
should act not primarily as stakeholders of their research groups and
organisations, but be committed to Community
growth and progress.
- A
proper mix of senior and junior academics as Committee members shall be achieved.
- Special
working groups may be formed by the PWASC
to tackle e.g. preparation of programme grants. Such working groups would be
formed for a specific purpose and for an agreed duration, and could include
members from outside the PWASC.
- The meetings shall ideally be face-to-face
meetings. If a representative cannot attend a meeting, then the following
options exist (in order of decreasing preference): (i) Nomination of another Committee member to act as a proxy; (ii) Substitution by a member of the same
organisation (e.g. home university); (iii) Attendance by video link. If a representative cannot
attend a meeting, the Committee
members shall be informed as early as possible in advance of the meeting.
- The meetings shall take place at rotating
locations, e.g. cycling through the member organisations.
- The meetings shall be organised by: a Chair,
who is responsible to develop the meeting agenda and to lead through the
programme during the meeting; a Deputy
Chair & Secretary, who is
responsible to take the minutes and circulate the draft and final minutes; a Host,
who is responsible for arranging the practical details of the meeting.
- Chair
and Deputy Chair & Secretary shall be different persons.
- Chair
and Deputy Chair & Secretary, and Host
shall rotate through the member organisations.
- The Chair
and Deputy Chair & Secretary shall be
determined from within the Committee
for a period of two years. This is in agreement with the expectation that the
membership of each person in the Committee
is expected to change in a three year cycle.
- The Chair
and Deputy Chair & Secretary are jointly responsible for ensuring that there is
proper communication with the wider UK Community,
e.g. via generation of newsletters, maintenance of website, organisation of
wider Community meetings etc.
- The Chair
shall act as contact person e.g. for relevant bodies outside the Committee who want to get in touch,
which otherwise may be unsure who of the Committee
to contact in first instance. This role as a contact person for new relevant
organisations and bodies shall not sideline any existing channels of
communication e.g. to Research Councils.
- The Committee
shall be a flat organisation. The selection of a Deputy Chair & Secretary shall not
generate a (perceived) preponderance of a specific group of the UK Community. For example, the Chair and Deputy Chair & Secretary
do not have any extended voting rights. A broad distribution of tasks across
the Committee and the wider Community shall be achieved, reflecting
the Committee as a Community-driven instrument.
- The agenda and minutes shall be sent out in
timely manner as follows: (i) The Chair
shall circulate a draft agenda at
least 2 weeks before meeting date; (ii) The Deputy Chair & Secretary shall circulate draft minutes within
two weeks of the meeting date; (iii) Committee
members shall circulate the draft minutes
to relevant colleagues within their respective organisation for comment and
further input; (iv) After any correction and revision, the final minutes shall then be circulated
among the Committee members no later
than 4 weeks after the meeting date.
- The location, Host and approximate date for the next meeting(s) shall be decided
during the PWASC meeting. The Host is then responsible for organising the
exact date of the next meeting within four weeks.
- Meeting dates should preferably be held shortly
before ASB meetings (weak boundary condition). The ASB member on the PWASC is responsible to communicate
important findings and activities to the ASB.
- In addition to the circulation of key actions to
the wider UK plasma community (e.g. by email, newsletter and/or website)
regular meetings with the whole UK plasma accelerator community should be held,
e.g. once a year, to present the work of the PWASC and to discuss certain important matters in a wider circle.