John Womersley
PPD staff meeting PPD staff meeting
John Womersley
6 February 2007
John Womersley
OutlineOutline
1. STFC
2. New business unit organisation
3. My future role
4. Some news from last week’s PPARC Science Committee
Q&A
John Womersley
STFCSTFC
Slides from Keith Mason briefing to community earlier this week
Science & TechnologyScience & TechnologyFacilities CouncilFacilities Council
Management structure
Paul Hartley
Jeff Down
Andrew Taylor
Jim Sadlier
Richard Wade
Colin Whitehouse
John Wood
John WomersleyGraham Brooks
Science & TechnologyScience & TechnologyFacilities CouncilFacilities Council
Science Board
Audit Committee
Education & Public
Outreach Committee
International Advisory
Committee
Chief Executive &
Council
Business Board
STFC Top- Level Advisory Structure
Science & TechnologyScience & TechnologyFacilities CouncilFacilities Council
COUNCIL
CEO
Science Board
Financial and scientific tensioning
Long Term Planning
OPTIONS
Physical and Life Sciences Committee
Prioritize, Filter, Sort, Peer Review where appropriate
Science Advisory Science Advisory StructureStructure
PPAN* Science Committee
Prioritize, Filter, Sort, Peer Review
*Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear Physics
ADVISORY STRUCTURE USER COMMITTEES
COMMUNITY IDEAS PEER REVIEW FROM RCs
OPPORTUNITIES STRATEGIC PLANS FROM OTHER RCs
International Advisory Committee
OPTIONS
Science Programme Office
John Womersley
• STFC in place on 1 April 2007 – all of our contracts will transfer over
• Budget will be CCLRC + PPARC + nuclear physics
• There will be a “launch event” in London in April – new logo etc.
• Some key issues for particle physics– Opportunities
• Exploit synergies, transcend “Swindon viewpoint”– Risks
• Need to defend (again) the role of a national lab and of in-house research
John Womersley
Business UnitBusiness Unit
Slides from Richard Holdaway’s staff meeting earlier this week
Director, Facility Operations
1566 Staff
Facilities for Science
Business Unit
766
Science & Technology
Business Unit
800
Resources 44
Technology 272
Space 201
Lasers 79
ISIS 325
SR 161
ASTec 56
E-Science 103
P Physics 100
UK ATC 104
Nuclear 10
CSE 69
Resources 42
Island Sites TBD
“Facility Operations”
Primary Functions
Deliver S&T & Instrumentation through Research, Development, and Facilities
Enable HEI’s & Industry to realise the full potential of this R&D and facilities
Deliver KT & Outreach, and provide input to UK S&T Strategy
Concept
• Two Business Units, each led by an Executive Director, and each with 700 staff
• Departments within each BU are typically 100+ staff, led by a Director
• Self-contained “front-line” Finance/Admin/IT processes within each BU
• BU’s fully linked to all other STFC Directorates
STBU Facts
• Formally up and running from 1/4/07
• ~ £100M income
• ~ 800 Staff
Top-Level STBU issues - 1
• No staff losses proposed or expected
• Department science strategy and management
remains with the Directors / Heads
• Recruit top-quality Director Technology
• Resolve issue of Director Particle Physics
John Womersley
• I am not sure the name “Science and Technology Business Unit” has been formally agreed
• Structure shown is that on 1/4/07; it is open to subsequent evolution – e.g. move departments from “FBU” to “STBU”, split off Space Institute
• Key issues for particle physics:– Exploit better connections with Technology department– What is best position/organisation for department
John Womersley
Director of Science StrategyDirector of Science Strategy
• Essentially replaces the position of Chief Scientist
• Responsible for science and technology strategy across the whole remit of council operations
• My view is that it should aim to connect – The good background of peer review and community involvement
inherited from PPARC– With the in-house science expertise inherited from CCLRC
Therefore it is a key part of making sure that STFC is more than just PPARC + CCLRC
• I think it will benefit STFC and (indirectly) Particle Physics if I take this role
John Womersley
• Plan A– I remain involved in running PPD at some level, especially where big
strategy is concerned, but with day-to-day administration delegated
• Plan B– There will be a new director of PPD
• This will be resolved soon – has been delayed by availability of some of the people who need to be involved in the decision (including me – sorry!)
John Womersley
PPARC Science Committee NewsPPARC Science Committee News
• SC met last week. News is not good. The overall budget is £9M deeper in the red than thought over next 3 years:
– Australian contributions lost– Cost of shared services centre at Swindon– Government reduction across all RC’s
In this climate big new projects are hard to fund
• SC recommended supporting GridPP3 at PPRP’s “minimum viable” level
• MICE and NF – PPARC will look to CCLRC– ASTAB meets tomorrow and Friday at DL
• Support for LC-ABD still being discussed but not likely to grow
• Still “trying to find a way” to do T2K
• Zeplin III comes to next meeting…
John Womersley
Questions, comments…Questions, comments…
