International Co-operation on Large Accelerator-based Projects in High-Energy Physics

Ministers expressed their appreciation for the work of the OECD Global Science Forum Consultative Group on High-Energy Physics. They welcomed the report from the Group and commended the clarity and world-wide consensus they found amongst the high-energy physics community in developing the Roadmap for future large accelerator-based facilities.

In particular, the Ministers note several important points that were articulated in the report:

• A roadmap that identifies four interdependent priorities for global HEP facilities i) the exploitation of current frontier facilities until contribution of these machines is surpassed, ii) completion and full exploitation of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, iii) preparing for the development of a next-generation electron-positron collider, and iv) the continued support for appropriate R&D into novel accelerator designs.

• The need to have　 large, next-generation facilities funded, designed, built, and operated as　 global-scale collaborations with contribution from all countries that wish to participate.

• The need for strong international R&D collaboration and studies of the organisational, legal, financial, and administrative issues required to realize the next major accelerator facility on the Consultative Group's Roadmap, a next generation electron-positron collider with a significant period of concurrent running with the LHC.

• The need to continue to educate, attract and train young people in the fields of high-energy physics, astrophysics and cosmology in the face of the increasingly competitive environment where all areas of science, industry and commerce are seeking to capture the imagination of the most creative minds.

Ministers agreed that, given the complexity and long lead times for decision making of major international projects, it is important that consultations continue within the scientific communities and, when it becomes appropiate, within interested governmental communities in order to maximise the advantages offered by global collaboration.