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ICFA calls for stability in science funding

13 March 2008

The International Committee for Future Accelerators (ICFA) has issued a statement on the need for continuous and stable funding for large international science projects, such as the proposed International Linear Collider. This statement is a reaction to recent cuts in the science budgets of the UK and the US, and addresses governments and science funding agencies around the world.

In the statement, ICFA expresses its deep concern about the recent decisions in the UK and the US on spending for long-term international science projects. It points out that “frontier science relies increasingly on stable international partnerships, since the scientific and technical challenges can only be met by enabling outstanding men and women of science from around the world to collaborate, and by joining forces to provide the resources they need to succeed”.

The statement continues: “A good example is the proposed International Linear Collider. In order to advance the understanding of the innermost structure of matter and the early development of the universe, several thousand particle physicists and accelerator scientists around the world, during the past 15 years, have co-ordinated their work on developing the technologies necessary to make a linear collider feasible.

“In view of these tightly interlinked efforts, inspired and driven by the scientific potential of the linear collider, the sudden cuts implemented by two partner countries have devastating effects. ICFA feels an obligation to make policy makers aware of the need for stability in the support of major international science efforts. It is important for all governments to find ways to maintain the trust needed to move forward international scientific endeavours.”

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