Daily Image
10-03-2017
JUMPING JIVE kicks off
| Submitter: | Gina Maffey |
| Description: | February 21st marked the official start of the JUMPING JIVE project with a kick-off meeting in Leiden – of which an impression is shown above. The JUMPING JIVE project was awarded nearly 3 million euros by the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the EU. The project combines 12 institutes from 8 countries, and is led by JIVE. The first action of the meeting was to select a chair of the board, which will be René Vermeulen (ASTRON). The vice-chair will be John Conway (Onsala Space Observatory). During the kick-off meeting the work packages were presented and discussed in more detail. The ambition of the project is high, as is the motivation to make the European VLBI Network (EVN) a truly global instrument, and a world leader in VLBI science and innovation. JUMPING JIVE stands for Joining up Users for Maximising the Profile, the Innovation and Necessary Globalization of JIVE. The project aims to expand the membership base of JIVE, as well as to boost the functionality of the EVN. The latter will involve a coordinated discussion with European and global VLBI experts to define the necessary technical innovation based on scientific requirements for radio astronomy, geodesy and space science applications. The project also has resources for integrating new telescopes into the existing EVN network. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and other African telescopes will significantly increase the sensitivity and resolution of VLBI observation of targets in the Southern celestial hemisphere. Consequently, the project has dedicated work packages to stimulate radio astronomy developments in Africa and include telescopes across the African continent. JUMPING JIVE also provides for a scientist to work with the SKA Organisation on future VLBI operations that include the SKA. In the top pictures you can see (left to right): René Vermeulen (ASTRON), Tiziana Venturi (INAF), the JUMPING JIVE logo, and the meeting room. All participants are included in the group photo. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 730884. |
| Copyright: | JIVE |
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