CEDAR email: SRI International will not participate in the NSF re-competition for the future operation of the Arecibo Observatory

[John Kelly]

  Dear Colleagues,


  SRI International will not participate in the NSF re-competition for
  the future operation of the Arecibo Observatory

The National Science Foundation has recently released a solicitation for 
the future operation and maintenance of the Arecibo Observatory – the 
World’s most sensitive incoherent scatter radar and radio telescope – 
currently operated by SRI International under a facility Cooperative 
Support Agreement with NSF.The solicitation describes a future NSF 
funding profile which reduces to less than 25% of current levels (having 
already been reduced by 30% from the widely accepted minimum operating 
budget some five years ago) while effectively calling for continued 
operations at current levels.In our opinion, the solicitation provides 
no possibility of a viable, response and we have decided that it would 
be more effective for SRI to pursue other alternatives to allow the 
Observatory to continue as world leader in scientific discovery.

Regards,

John Kelly
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