European Vision and Birth of ECT* in Trento

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1 European Vision and Birth of ECT* in Trento The history of a successful bottom-up project of the European Nuclear Physics Community at large ECT* = European Centre of Theoretical Nuclear Physics and Related Areas The full acronym ECTNPRA has been shortened to ECT* Bergen 29 July 2015 R. Leonardi, Emeritus, Univ. of Trento

2 Large flux of international visitors ( per year, ca since 1993 Good local support by the Autonomous Province of Trento via FBK (ex Istituto Trentino di Cultura (ITC) Multinational Memorandum of Understanding involving funding agencies of European countries + EU support

3 It is a long story and it can be divided essentially in 4 parts : the debate within the nuclear physics community up to the conclusion that an European Theory Centre can be established in Trento on a 5 years experimental basis.. The event is well covered by specialized scientific journals and the press : Experimental period. First steps; prepare the premises, the legal framework (statutes), identify the governing bodies, start the scientific activity, contact the the European institutions, (European Science Foundation, NuPECC, EU National funding Agencies ), first external review report (1997); the period end-up with a Memorandum of Understanding : intense scientific activities: review committee reports (2003, 2007; attempt to give ECT* a legal international status through an agreement between States (like ICTP in Trieste or similar) (failed) present : transition from ITC (suppressed) to FBK (Fondazione Bruno Kessler); ECT* is fully incorporated in FBK: new agreement with NuPECC and ESF.

4 Following a proposal (1990) of nuclear physicists from the Niels Bohr Institute, European theoretical nuclear physicists were invited to Paris to discuss the possibility of creating a European centre for theoretical nuclear physics in a broad sense and the support that such a centre would have in the community. The meeting revealed enthusiastic support for the idea, and a Steering Committee was nominated to take action in the matter.

5 N.P.NEWS Vol.1 nr 1, 1990 N.P.NEWS Vol. 1 nr 2, 1990

6 E. Moya de Guerra, C. Gaarde and P. de Witt Huberts Nuclear Physics News Vol. 1, nr 4, 1991

7 Nuclear Physics News Vol. 1, nr 4, 1991 The meeting was chaired by Oriol Bohigas and J-F. Mathiot served as Secretary

8 The Steering Committee Nuclear Physics News Vol. 1, nr 4, 1991

9 As a result of local meetings and referendums in specialized magazines (Nuclear Physics News) and of meetings of Steering Committee members with EU officials in Brussels, it was decided to invite European groups to formulate specific proposals to start the centre based on local financing with possible supplement from the EU Human Capital and Mobility program. Five specific proposals were elaborated by groups in Denmark, Holland, Italy and CERN and at a meeting convened in Paris-Orsay in 1992, the nuclear physics community practically unanimously endorsed the proposal from Trento.

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16 32 letters from various Labs and Universities 30 pro Trento, 2 (Italian) against 61 participants: 51 voted : 46 pro Trento 5 (Italians INFN Legnaro) against

17 Board of Directors J.P. Blaizot S. Fantoni B. Mottelson C. Pethick W. Weise Later on the Board suggest to add H. Specht, to keep contact with the experimentalists and Muller (Col) to insure contacts with USA nuclear physicists.

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19 In January 1993 the European Centre for Theoretical Studies in Nuclear Physics and Related Areas (ECT*) was initiated on behalf of the European nuclear physicists community, on a trial basis, by the Istituto Trentino di Cultura(**) and the Centre started the activities in June the same year. In February 1996 a meeting of the European nuclear physics community was convened to evaluate the first three years of activity of the Centre. ECT* underwent a critical review, and an International Evaluation Committee was elected and asked to produce an evaluation report, which was completed in December "

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21 1993 Inaugural Symposium: September (TN down-town, ITC head-quarters)

22 At the end it was supported from funds of ECT* : the meeting was a milestone in the field : 3 partecipants got the Nobel Prize: ofcohen- Tann0udji, Cornell and Ketterlee

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28 In 1997 a formal recognition of the European role of the Centre has been completed by the signing of an agreement of mutual understanding with the European Science Foundation (ESF) associated committee Nuclear Physics European Co-ordination Committee (NuPECC), and the ratification of this agreement by the ESF (Autumn 1997). Also the ECT* Statutes, which define the aims and goals of ECT* and the set of rules by which it operates, have been endorsed by the ESF. In June 1998, because the trial phase has demonstrated the value of the proposed initiative, a protocol of agreement was signed between Istituto Trentino di Cultura and the ESF Associated Committee NuPECC for the formal establishment of the Centre with the final approval of thestatutes. According to this Protocol, funds allocated to the Centre are administrated by ITC. Should it be necessary for ECT* to become a legal body, ITC and NuPECC have agreed to collaborate, in order to determine themost

29 A big step to ensure direct support from European National funding agencies was that representative of the agencies of the three largest users of the Centre agreed to convene at ECT* to discuss the future funding. At the meeting of the community held in January 1998 the representatives of BMBF (Germany), CEA and IN2P3 (France) and INFN (Italy) agreed to propose to their national funding agencies to flank the local financial contribution. An initial step of a broader cooperative effort of the European nations.nupecc had agreed to help in coordinating the European effort. The meeting of the representatives of the funding agencies took place in September A Memorandum of understanding was drawn up to have firm commitments from the signing parties, France, Italy and Germany. Other countries were invited to follow this initiative and initially commitments have been obtained from Belgium, Denmark, The Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden.

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31 Symposium in honor of Ben s 70thies (96) Org. by Hamamoto, Leonardi and Brink

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53 The ECT* Mission 1. To be a center of frontline research in theoretical nuclear physics 2. To promote active contacts between theory and experiments, and to related areas of research 3. To further the training of young researchers

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