A Word from the DG: Additional resources 
for CERN’s future

As I announced to you in my speech on 27 June, one of the Council’s key decisions in June concerned the approval of the programme of proposed additional activities and of the associated additional budget resources amounting to 240 million Swiss francs for the period from 2008 to 2011. We must salute this important decision and thank the Member States for their contributions, in particular the Host States who have committed themselves to funding half the additional budget resources. This decision is the logical follow-up to the definition of the European Strategy for Particle Physics for Europe adopted by the Council last year and makes it possible to start implementing the strategy as presented last autumn in the CERN Management’s White Paper.

We have all repeatedly pleaded the case for these additional resources. During the period of reimbursement of the bank loans for the construction of the LHC, the extra resources are essential to ensure improved operation of the discovery potential of the LHC and to prepare CERN’s future. Naturally they will be devoted exclusively to technical improvements and to the development of the proposed new activities. The programme consists of four priority themes:

  • an increase in the resources dedicated to the experiments and to reliable operation of the LHC at its nominal luminosity;
  • renovation of the injector complex;
  • a minimum R&D programme on detector components and focusing magnets in preparation for an increase in the LHC luminosity and enhancement of the CLIC qualifying programme with CTF3;
  • activities of great scientific interest for which contributions from other European organisations are essential.

A person has been designated to head each project with responsibility for project organisation, allocation of the necessary resources and establishment of the schedule. The funding for these projects will provide 400 additional full-time equivalents (FTEs), thereby making it possible to maintain staff numbers at 2250 FTEs in 2010 compared to the 2000 initially planned. These projects also allow CERN to contemplate its future with increased confidence since they will pave the way for a potential long-term scientific programme beyond 2011. It will be up to all of us to bring it to fruition.

Robert Aymar