In another major development, Council approved a programme of additional activities together with the associated budget resources. This decision follows the definition of the European Strategy for Particle Physics adopted by Council last year. It makes it possible to start implementing the strategy as presented by CERN management last autumn. The approved resources amount to an extra SwFr240 million for 2008–2011. The host states, France and Switzerland, have committed to providing half of these additional funds.
The extra resources are essential to ensure full exploitation of the discovery potential of the LHC and to prepare CERN’s future. 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 for enhancement of the qualifying programme for the Compact Linear Collider study; and activities of scientific importance for which contributions from other European organizations will be essential.
