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We live in interesting times. And, CHESS is moving in exciting new directions.
As those of you who were at the CHESS User Meeting on June 6th heard, beginning in April 2019, CHESS will transition from NSF being the steward to a partnership between NSF, other government agencies, and industry.
This presents a rare opportunity to reorganize and do exciting things that we haven't been able to do in the past. We are in the process of developing a funding model in which partner organizations provide financial support in exchange for both dedicated research capabilities and guaranteed x-ray beam time.
In this new model, partners will pay a "photon fee." The fee will cover the partner's share of the many operations that take place behind the shielding wall and will entitle the partner organization to (a portion of) an x-ray beam year on a specific x-ray beamline. X-ray beam line staff and equipment will also be supported by the partner organization.
The core values and principles of CHESS will remain in place. For example, we want to maintain CHESS's unique character, culture, and personality that our users expect while doing research. I'm pleased that, to date, the potential partners I have spoken with have all expressed the desire for continued access to and interaction with graduate students, post-docs, and CHESS staff. Access to CHESS's computing infrastructure and data analysis expertise are also highly sought after.
Our vision is that CHESS will evolve from a national synchrotron user facility supporting a general-user population to a research program driven, synchrotron high-energy x-ray laboratory. Expect enhanced coupling and interaction with Cornell University, industry, foundations, and federal research laboratories.
During the next six months or so, CHESS will be preparing proposals to NSF and other organizations to fund operations for the next five year (2019-2024) period. If you, or someone you know, is interested in finding out more about becoming a partner at a premier high-energy synchrotron facility, please contact me. As the capabilities that CHESS provides are diverse and unique, we're casting as wide a net as possible.
-Joel Brock
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