European Large Aperture Solar Telescope (Est) in the Canary Islands Report on Technical, Financial and Socio-Economic Aspect

european large aperture solar telescope (est) in the canary islands report on technical, financial and socio-economic aspect

April 2011 european large aperture solar telescope (est) in the canary islands the canary in telescope (est) solar aperture european large financial aspect and socio-economic technical, on report european large aperture solar telescope (est) in the canary islands report on technical, financial and socio-economic aspect

April 2011 © Instituto de Astrofísica Design and layout: de Canarias Estudio Nexo SL

First Edition, 2012 Infographics: Gabriel Pérez DL: TF 577-2012 IDOM ATST Printed in Spain Antonio Darwich (Producciónes Gráﬁcas) Pictures: Miguel Briganti All rights reserved. No part Pablo Bonet of this book may be repro- Inés Bonet duced in any form or by any Michiel Van Noort electronic or mechanical Daniel López means, including photogra - Miguel Díaz Sosa phy, information storage Pablo Rodríguez and retrieval systems, wi- Nik Szymanek thout the prior written per- Thierry Legault mission of the copyright Ángel L. Aldai holders. Ángeles Pérez 5

This report is the result of an extensive analysis and data collection on industrial and socio-economic aspects related to the construction and operation of the “European Large Aperture Solar Telescope” (EST). A Conceptual Design Study for this research infrastructure was funded by the European Commission, during the period 2008-2011 (reference FP7-212482), through its speciﬁc programme for Research Infrastructures as part of the Seventh Framework Programme for RTD 2007-2013. This report is one of the project deliverables, within the workpackage “Economic feasibility and socio-economic impact”.

This report was produced by:

Sosa Méndez, A. Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) Burgos Martín, J. Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) Collados Vera, M. Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)

The following people have also signiﬁcantly contributed to some speciﬁc sections of this report:

Eff-Darwich, A. University of La Laguna (ULL). Section 5.3: Geological risk. Valle Valle, E. University of the Balearic Islands (UIB). Section 9.2.2: Economic impact of building and operating the EST in the Canaries.

We would like to thank staff at the IAC for their comments and input during the preparation of this document. Finally we would also like to thank those who worked on the 2009 European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) report, which dealt with similar aspects arising from the possible installation of this large telescope on the island of La Palma. That document has served as a valuable reference for some sections of this new report on the EST.

For additional information or to comment on this report please contact: Institutional Projects and Technology Transfer Ofﬁce INSTITUTO DE ASTROFÍSICA DE CANARIAS C/ Vía Láctea, s/n, 38205, La Laguna Tel.: +34 922 605 200 E-mail: [email protected] 6

executive Today, the European Solar Physics community has a prominent role summary on the world stage. This is the result of the international reputation that research groups in Europe have been building and the access to the most comprehensive array of solar telescopes at the International Astrophysics Observatories in the Canary Islands that they enjoy. The strategic advantage presented by the Observatories has helped strong relationships to develop throughout the European solar physics community, make progress in generating and developing new observational capacities, and create new opportunities for joint working on high technology projects. The successes of recent years and the experience gained by the European scientific community in this field mean that the time is now ripe for a major technological challenge. This is the role of the EST, the largest European research instrument in the field of ground-based solar physics. Building it in the Canaries, at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos (ORM) in La Palma or at the Observatorio del Teide (OT) in Tenerife, would also stimulate development in the region as well as in the rest of Spain and Europe as a whole. This report was produced in the context of the conceptual design phase for the EST (2008-2011), which was funded by the European Commission (EC). It draws on activities carried out by the international consortium working on that phase of the project. It aims to provide a detailed description of the scientific, technical, industrial and socio- economic impact of building and operating the EST in the Canaries, and to provide information that will be helpful for decision-making when this European initiative of transnational scientific collaboration is started. From the point of view of economy and industry it is estimated that through the collaboration of the countries involved (over a dozen Mem- ber States) they can have access to a return proportionate to the size of their solar physics community, the type of contribution they make (in-kind or in cash), their available resources for solar physics and/or their industrial capacity. For the host country, previous experience with large telescope construction projects like the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), combined with the development of a competitive and specialised national industrial sector and the nature of some of the EST work- packages, allow to foresee returns over 30%. High returns can also be anticipated for any other country with much to offer to the project. 7

However, given the high degree of uncertainty about on which regions tenders and service providers related to this project will be located, apart from those anticipated for the host region, attempting to provide individual information on the industrial return, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increase and job creation for the different countries involved (including Spain as a whole) would be a complex and unconvincing enterprise. From a socio-economic perspective the Canaries would benefit on many levels, in particular from a more diverse economy, increased GDP and the creation of high quality jobs. Given the current state of the economy in the Canaries, with the wider international crisis and the Islands’ dependence on the services sector, this project is an opportunity that must not be missed. Detailed analysis of the available data suggests that financial returns from the project for the Canaries during the construction phase could be as high as €54 million, rising to some €364 million over the 30 years of the telescope’s life (including induced effects on the regional economy). The effect on jobs, again including induced effect, could total some 10,565 new one-year positions in the Canaries (taking into account both, the construction period 2015-2020 and the operating phase, some 30 years). These positions are equivalent to 213 full-time jobs during the six-year construction phase and 309, also full-time, over the telescope’s 30-year life. The methodology used (based on Input-Output tables), together with high levels of uncertainty in the estimates for the extent of involvement of the different nations (including the host nation) make realistic projections for impact on GDP and employment across the European Union (EU) impossible. The impact of a project like the EST on the reputation of the Obser - va tories in the Canary Islands should also not be underestimated. It would confirm their position as a world-class astronomy resource, with premium sites for the latest generation telescopes and new scientific instruments, a permanent training facility for young researchers and engineers and a source of new outreach and science tourism initiatives that would benefit society. There is no question that the Canary Islands as a location, with its good and plentiful connections to Europe, add to the strategic attrac- tiveness of the Observatories. This is demonstrated by the constant movement of large numbers of research and technical professionals from Europe to the Observatories of the Canaries that has been occu - rring for many decades. Sea level support facilities (Centro de Astrofísica 8

de La Palma – CALP and the IAC Headquarters) are equally attractive as they are already equipped with much of the basic and advanced infrastructures needed to build and operate the EST. The Canaries are involved in planning out the development strategy for the Outermost Regions for the period 2014-2020, which gives them an unprecedented opportunity to include large research infrastructures in the priorities of the main Structural funds (European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF)). The legal framework put in place by the European Commission for the creation and operation of transnational research infrastructures (European Research Infrastructure Consortium - ERIC) provides a functio - ning model with sufficient guarantees for the project to be carried out without significant difficulty in this regard. As this report was being produced, the financial regime for economic support for the subsequent phases of the project had not been determined. It is foreseeable that the member institutions of the European Association for Solar Telescopes (EAST), via their funding agencies and using whichever legal format is finally adopted, will provide the economic feasibility for the project. For Spain this project could represent an unprecedented opportunity to lead the construction of a large Eu- ropean research infrastructure. Decisive support (political and financial) from this country’s regional and national authorities is vitally important, together with an additio nal contribution greater than that of other countries, in order to steer the project through its subsequent phases with the other European partners involved. 9

Modern science is entirely global, with information shared between motivation researchers across the world virtually instantly. For astronomy and & objectives other similar disciplines there is another reason for globalisation – the high cost of the infrastructure that we need today. This means that countries must work together to plan for the future, pooling available resources across the whole of Europe. A series of European astronomy funding agencies therefore came together to form an ERA-Net type network, ASTRONET, which is financed by the European Commission and whose main aim is to identify the most important scientific goals in Astronomy for the next two decades and the infrastructure needed to attain them. ASTRONET published a “roadmap” in 2008 to prioritise the construction of infrastructure that will keep Europe in the lead. The EST is the major project for the future of European ground- based solar astronomy and is listed by ASTRONET as a top priority amongst medium-sized ground-based infrastructures. The EST is the key future project for EAST, an association with member institutions from 15 European countries. EAST does not have its own funds for building the telescope, it therefore needs financial backing from the various funding agencies in these countries. In recent years European industry has gained the technological capacity and knowledge needed to take on a technological challenge like the EST. Contributing to the EST is a way of helping to keep European solar physics at the forefront; it will guarantee access to an essential tool for ground-based solar research that will bring scientific benefits not only in quantity but also of the highest quality; it is a key reinforce- ment in the strategy of development and internationalisation for the Canary Islands’ Astrophysics Observatories and will give European industry, which is very well equipped for this type of projects, a unique opportunity to make returns on its expertise in the field. This, then, is the first aim of this document: to illustrate and corro- borate the foreseeable notable benefits and high impact of the EST for a European knowledge-based society. However, the main body of the report is an examination of the effects in all areas as well as the economic feasibility of siting the EST in the Canaries. As a result of the International Agreements for Cooperation in Astro - physics, the Observatories of the IAC are home to a range of telescopes and observation facilities operated by many different countries. For 10

decades the observatories have offered the combined strengths of excellent conditions for observing the sky (rivalled by very few other sites worldwide) and comprehensive infrastructure and a well-established activity. Building the EST at either of the two observatories would bring considerable benefits for the Canary Islands. These benefits are described in detail in this report, with a particular emphasis on socio-economic impacts. The construction of the EST in the Canaries (and subsequently operating it for 30 years) would produce a large amount of economic activity and create high skilled jobs. Although Europe is currently in the grip of an international financial crisis, which involves a slowdown in economic growth, a range of opportunities and advantages are emerging that must be grasped in order to provide firm and decisive backing for construction of the EST and to overcome the current obstacles in the path of the project. . The EST is a vital European response to the American Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST), and it will keep European solar physics in the position of excellence it deserves. . The Conceptual Design study was completed in July 2011 and it is now essential to assure the project's continuity, with a smooth transition to the next phase, so that momentum and the progress already made are not lost. . The partners in the EST unanimously agree that as the EST deve - lops, plans must be made to dismantle many of the existing solar telescopes in the Canaries. Should the EST receive strong support now, it will help to clarify the situation of some of the current infrastructures, and to concentrate efforts on new technology developments for this project. . However it is unfortunate that the EST does not feature on the European Strategy Forum on Reseach Infrastructures (ESFRI) Roadmap. It should be remembered that the EST has already drawn support from practically the whole of the European research community. However, the EST cannot yet claim to be a “project of European interest,” a status which would open the doors for negotiations between the countries involved. The Roadmap was last updated in 2008 (only for certain fields of science, not including astrophysics) and the list of projects is not expected to be updated again until at least 2013-2014. This could be too late for the EST. The risk of halting the project for at least two years could lead to a significant loss of momentum as well as a 11

loss of interest amongst companies, which might turn instead to other projects. . One of the consequences of the EST not appearing in the ESFRI roadmap is that the EST does not feature on any of the lists of priorities, at either European or national level for any of the countries involved. This is clearly in contradiction to the fact that ASTRONET has considered the EST as a top priority amongst medium-sized ground-based infrastructures. It is vital for the future of the project to change this situation.

The institutions and organisations below have formally announced supporting their full backing for the EST project sited at the Canary Islands’ Astrophy- institutions sics Observatories. They appeal to the decision-making entities or to any organisations whose strategies and actions can assist this process, to take the necessary steps for the project to go ahead.

European ASTRONET Network The Astronet Infrastructure Roadmap. A Strategic Plan for European Astronomy. 2008 EAST (European Association for Solar Telescopes) Terms of Reference for the European Association for Solar Telescopes. 08/02/2007 Spanish National Astronomy Commission Brieﬁng Note 03/02/2011 Tenerife Island Council Ordinary Plenary Session 25/02/2011

Up to April 2011 a range of organisations from scientiﬁc, political and socio-economic backgrounds are also working to formally express their support. 12 c o n t e n t s executive summary ...... 6 motivation & objectives ...... 9 supporting institutions...... 11

1. introduction...... 14

2. the est project...... 16 2.1. The European Large Aperture Solar Telescope (EST) ...... 18 2.1.1. Brief description and history ...... 18 2.1.2. Construction and operation infrastructure requirements ...... 20 2.1.3. Construction and operation budget...... 21 2.2. Relevance for the European solar physics community: the role of EAST ...... 29 2.3. Implications of the EST for the host country ...... 31 2.4. Scientific facilities for solar physics...... 33 2.4.1. Brief introduction ...... 33 2.4.2. Existing ground-based solar physics infrastructures in Europe...... 34 2.4.3. The short- and medium-term future: the new generation of solar telescopes ...... 34

3. science with the est...... 42

4. astrophysics observatories in the canary islands ....48 4.1. The Roque de los Muchachos Observatory – ORM ...... 50 4.2. The Teide Observatory - OT ...... 55

5. assessment factors...... 62 5.1. Atmospheric characterisation ...... 64 5.2. Sky protection in the Canary Islands...... 69 5.3. Geological risk ...... 72 5.4. Strategic position within Europe...... 77 5.5. Basic and advanced infrastructures at the ORM and OT ...... 81 5.6. Sea level facilities ...... 85 13

6. financial feasibility of the est ...... 88 6.1. Scientific infrastructures as a driver of socio-economic development: the role of astrophysics in the Canaries ...... 91 6.2. Financial scenario: national contributions, support instruments and funding programmes ...... 93 6.2.1. Financial scenario: starting position ...... 94

7. legal aspects of the est at the orm/ot ...... 104 7.1. Aspectos jurídicos de los terrenos del ORM y OT...... 106 7.2. Legal vehicles for construction and operation of the EST: ERIC...... 107 7.3. Fiscal regime in the Canaries for the EST...... 109

8. economy and industry in the canaries...... 116 8.1. Current economic situation in the Canaries ...... 118 8.2. Industries in the Canaries for the EST ...... 119

9. industrial and socio-economic impact .... 124 9.1. EST construction and operating costs by geographic area and economic sector ...... 125 9.1.1. EST construction phase ...... 125 9.1.2. EST operating phase...... 129 9.2. Economic impact of building and operating the EST in the Canaries ...... 132 9.2.1. Methodology. Input-Output Analysis ...... 133 9.2.2. Direct, indirect and induced effects on employment and GDP ...... 136 9.2.3. Technological and industrial impact of building and operating the EST ...... 145 9.3. Socio-cultural impact and potential for science tourism ...... 147 9.4. Social perception and added value ...... 148 9.4.1. Cultural enrichment (promotion of science) ...... 149

10. conclusions...... 152 11. acronyms...... 158 12. list of annexes ...... 160 1. introduction

Large science and technology infrastructures The previous Sixth Framework Programme in Europe have always received special con- (FP6) (2002-2006) included for the first ti - sideration at community level because of me a specific programme designed to support the incalculable value they bring for the these installations, taking into account access European Research Area (ERA) structure and to and improving existing ones and also the advances they give rise to in all areas of funding the design, development and cons- science and technology. Over the last de- truction of new infrastructures. The current cade the effects that these infrastructures Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), which may have on the economy, society and in- covers the period 2007-2013, retains this dustry of the Member States and their de- support for present and future projects. velopment has also come to be assessed Following a recommendation by the Coun - and studied. cil, and as a further step towards better plan - The various Framework Programmes have ning for the design and improvement of made funds available specifically to help large infrastructures at EU level, the Euro - Europe to pursue these transnationally im- pean Commission created the ESFRI in 2002, portant installations and they have also specifically to support the coordination of funded improvements and constant updating. the different national and community poli- 15

cies on these infrastructures and to encou- The European solar physics community rage multilateral efforts for their better use is unanimous in its choice of site for the EST: and development. The Canary Islands. The observatory that To help achieve these goals the ESFRI has will ultimately be home to the telescope produced a “Roadmap”, a list of projects that (ORM or OT) has not yet been decided. will receive support over the next 10-20 This document gives some scientific and years to keep Europe at the forefront of in- technical details on the EST project and pre- ternational scientific excellence. In the field sents the results of work already carried out of Astrophysics, the European ASTRONET on the economic and social impact of buil- network is responsible for determining scien - ding and operating the EST in the Canaries. tific objectives for astronomy in the next It also identifies potential sources of fun- two decades and identifying the infrastruc- ding for the project. ture needed to achieve them. The EST is one of the projects prioritised by ASTRONET but it has not been listed on the ESFRI “Road- map” as yet, so the necessary steps must be taken for it to be included. 2. the est project

2.1. the european large aperture solar this field. Following the signing of the Inter - telescope (est) national Agreement for Cooperation in Astro - physics (1979), these countries were able to 2.1.1. Brief description and history site their installations at OT (Tenerife) and the ORM (La Palma), which are both operated In 1968, solar physicists from 7 European by the IAC. The telescopes at these observa- countries formed JOSO (Joint Organization tories operate in atmospheric conditions for Solar Observations), an international joint only found at a first rate site for astrophysics project by the foremost European solar observations. The two observatories are ho - physics research institutions. Its main aim me to telescopes that can efficiently captu - was to identify and scientifically exploit an re high-resolution images and spectra of ideal site for a solar observatory. After more the photosphere and the solar chromosphe - than forty locations in the Mediterranean re, at the very limits of what is possible with and the Atlantic had been examined, two current technology and the exceptional mountain sites on the Canary Islands were quality of the sky over the Canary Islands. finally put forward: Izaña (Tenerife) and Ro - Images like those taken by the SST (Swedish que de Los Muchachos (La Palma). Solar Telescope) or the DOT (Dutch Open Te- These observatories most closely met the lescope), which are sited at the ORM, have strategic objectives set down by JOSO for revealed magnetic structures in the Sun that sites for national medium-sized telescopes are scarcely 100 km across and shown how and for a large European solar telescope (LEST, their morphology evolves. To look more Large European Solar Telescope), which was closely at these structures spectral and po- to be built jointly by the member countries. larimetric analyses are required, as done by To encourage the construction of LEST, a the Themis solar telescope and the Vacuum Foundation was created in 1983 under the Tower Telescope (VTT), which are both loca- auspices of the Royal Swedish Academy of ted at the OT. Despite the Sun’s closeness, Sciences (RSAS). LEST came to be known as however, not enough photons reach us from Large Earth-Based Solar Telescope. Despite these small magnetic structures for us to this telescope being strategic for the deve- examine them sufficiently quickly to pre- lopment of solar physics worldwide, the vent the data being affected by their rapid funding needed was never obtained so the evolution. project was discarded in 1998. These arguments have become stronger During the last two decades, most of the in recent years, stimulating the overriding progress with infrastructures for studying need for a larger telescope to study this the Sun has resulted from individual initia- type of phenomena. EASTB was founded by tives by the different countries operating in solar physicists from 14 European countries 19

Figure 1. Conceptual design structure of the EST in 2006C to guarantee the development of ceptual design phase of the telescope. A new high resolution facilities for ground- total of 30 institutions, as main partners, and based solar observation, including the de- 7 collaborating entities from 15 countries velopment, construction and operation of a are involved in this project, which is being next generation telescope called the EST, coordinated by the IAC. The EST Conceptual thus resurrecting plans for a large teles- Design Study represents an investment of cope that had been put forward in the past. nearly €7 million, with 3.2 million of funded If it becomes a reality the EST will be the by the EC, for a period of 42 months (2008- largest EU consolidated and most widely 2011). participated effort to take European solar The design includes a 4.1 metre diameter physics to the forefront of worldwide solar primary mirror, a 0.8 metre secondary mirror research. and a focal length of 200 metres, giving The ﬁrst step towards construction of the spatial resolution of 30 km in the solar disc EST was taken in 2007, when the European (with the aim of reaching 20 km). The diffrac - Commission approved a project for the con- tion limit will be 0.03 arc seconds at 500 nm. There is only one other telescope project like this in the world, currently being built 1 Terms of Reference for the European Association for Solar Telescopes (EAST) (Annex A1). on the Hawaiian island of Haleakala: the 2 EAST currently comprises institutions from 15 coun- ATST that is backed and funded by the United tries following Poland's entry in 2008 States. 20

Figure 2. Views of solar telescopes at the Canary Islands’ Astronomical Observatories

On the basis of the current design and tual design phase and information available the construction period anticipated, the EST on building and operating a science instru- is expected to cost in the order of €160 mi- ment like this, is a brief list of the infras- llion. tructure that will need to be considered. The site for the telescope will be one of . Electrical supply line: The EST will need the two observatories in the Canary Islands a 0.3 MW supply, either from local gene- (Figure 2). The ﬁnal decision will depend on rators or via suitable supply lines provi- the outcome of atmospheric characterisa- ding guaranteed continuity of supply. tion campaigns, as well as other technical . Telecommunications: Construction of aspects. the EST is expected to require 45 personnel (on site simultaneously for up to six years) and some 70 people du- 2.1.2. Construction and operation ring the operating phase, for approxi- infrastructure requirements mately 30 years. These personnel will need accommodation near the site, wi- Building and operating an installation as lar - thin one hour’s travelling time, with all ge as the EST will require speciﬁc infrastruc- of the necessary facilities and services. ture to be available at the site. . Workshops and annexes: The EST pro- Listed below, based on assessments by ject will include construction of all of the EAST consortium for the current concep - the facilities needed by the telescope, 21

including control rooms, offices, a main - workshops for machining and correcting tenance workshop, etc. large parts will be required. Annexes will the- . Water supply and sewerage: The water refore be built in the surrounding area, with supply will need to be adequate for the a direct impact during this phase. needs of the facility and there will need to be provision for the removal of 2.1.3. Construction and operation budgetD waste water and other solid residues (resulting from the presence of per- The current estimate for the cost of buil- sonnel and some maintenance activi- ding the EST is approximately €135 million. ties; residues will be produced during This includes the costs of civil works, optics, both the construction and operation mechanics, control systems, the dome, etc. phases). and allows for a construction period of 6 . Operating base near the observatory: years. The base must include storage, labora- The budget also includes development of tories and workshops together with the main instruments that will operate du- administrative, techn ical and scientific ring the life of the telescope, a reasonable offices. The operating base will ideally be allowance for contingencies and assembly under one and a half hours from the and testing costs during the last year of site, guaranteeing road accessibility. construction.

Given that installations will have to be as- 3 Estimate made with information gathered until 31 sembled and mounted on site from scratch, January 2011. 22

Figure 3. View of the EST from above, showing the primary mirror

The costs of the conceptual design study, A detailed statement of the way that capi - preliminary design phase and preparation tal expenditure has been structured and the phase to start construction are not included. different budget headings is given below. The estimate also excludes the cost of commissioning (prior to the instrument being Optics - Mirrors handed over for use by the solar science community). It is estimated that these ac- This includes the development of the pri- tivities will cost in the region of €25 million. mary (M1) and secondary (M2) mirrors. The To break down this draft budget of €135 primary mirror (Fig 3) is a single 4.1 meter million in the different budget items we mirror fabricated from a type of lightweight consulted potential suppliers of the teles- glass ceramic material which is very stable copes different parts, members of EAST and in fluctuating temperatures. The secondary bodies that have built telescopes of a simi- mirror is 0.8 metres and the technologies lar size and cost to the EST. involved in manufacturing it, as a key com- The structure of this budget is subject to ponent of the active optics system, are cha- some degree of uncertainty due to the pro- llenging. Active optics systems are used to cess used in compiling it and also to factors compensate for deformations caused by inherent in the project (technological risk gravity (due to the weight of the mirrors in factors related to the appropriate item, their different positions), the wind or fluc- price variation, etc.); 20% of the budget is tuations in temperature providing technology therefore allocated for contingencies. This to keep the primary and secondary mirrors figure is no different to actual amounts aligned in real time. The main elements of allocated to similar projects. the EST's active optics will be active support 23

behind the primary mirror and a tip-tilt me- 150 tonnes and will include a precision ro- chanism (which pitches and changes the an - tation system for the telescope, which is gle of mirror) at the seconda ry mirror as well needed for optimum observation. as a hexapod stand to com pensate possible non-alignments between the primary and Heat trap secondary mirrors. The heat trap eliminates the large amount of solar radiation that will build up when Multi-conjugate Adaptive Optics light is reflected and concentrated by the primary mirror. Light travelling from the pri- The EST will have a Multi-conjugate Adapti - mary to the secondary mirror which is not ve Optics system (MCAO). This consists of needed for the final image will be captured several deformable mirrors and a number before it reaches the mirror and reflected of wavefront sensors to gauge, predict and out of the telescope. This avoids deforma- correct in real time atmospheric perturba- tions in the mirrors and telescope structure tions produced in localised layers at different caused by heat. known heights in the atmosphere, in order to improve the quality of the final image.

Control systems

This heading takes in all of the software and hardware used for controlling the telescope Figure 4. Structure of systems (including the primary and secon- the heat trap. dary mirrors, pointing, dome, electronics, data acquisition, pre-processing and presen- Dome tation, graphics, etc.). The dome is the main element protecting the telescope and also allows for ventila- Telescope mechanics tion of the different components. The design for the dome of the EST is non conventional. The mechanical structure is the telescope It will withdraw completely, leaving the te- itself, the body that will support the mirrors, lescope open during observations and will its mechanisms and the instruments and use the wind to ventilate the mirrors and associated electronics. It will weigh around other elements on the telescope platform. 24

Scientiﬁc instruments Project Management

This includes the budget for three instru- It includes all elements for controlling, mo- ments (and their corresponding associated nitoring and coordinating the project. channels and subsystems up to twelve) whose design costs largely represent personnel costs at institutions of the various Contingencies EAST countries, as well as industrial manufacturing costs. Estimates for the cost of each Allowance for any technical, human or orga - channel are between €1 and €5 million. The nisational resources needed to keep the overall budget for this instrument is esti- project on track. A risk analysis is needed for mated at over €35 million. each sector in order to produce the contingency budget.

Civil works Assembly, testing and preparation of the This will include site clearance, foundations, telescope concrete, construction of the operations buil - ding, annex and auxiliary buildings, speciﬁc Process of verifying that all of the compo- residence, water supply, electrical installa- nents of the telescope are working properly, tions, lighting, roads and conditioning. both individually and collectively. 25

construction phase This budget is considered the same whether the telescope is ultimately built at the A breakdown for the estimate of the EST ORM or the OT, as there will be no apprecia- construction budget, with elements as pre- ble cost difference (less than 2% of the total viously described, is given in table 1. The budget in any case, and well under limits time allocated to each sector is also shown. allowed for in Contingencies).

Table 1. EST budget breakdown. Construction phase

Sector Percentage (%) Estimated cost Period (at 2010 prices) Start year Nº of (k€) years Mirrors 12,63% 16.973,00 1º 6 Telescope mechanics 11,26% 15.125,00 1º 6 Control systems 6,58% 8835,00 1º 6 Adaptive Optics 6,70% 9000,00 1º 6 Heat trap 0,39% 525,00 1º 4 Dome 2,49% 3342,00 1º 3 Civil works 5,38% 7231,00 1º 3 Scientiﬁc instruments 23,60% 31.705,00 1º 6 Management and scientiﬁc support 9,38% 12.600,00 1º 6 Auxiliary telescope 0,16% 212,00 1º 1 Assembly, testing and preparation of the telescope 4,76% 6400,00 5º 1 Contingencies (20%) 16,67% 22.389,60 -- TOTAL 100% 134.337,60 26

Table 2. Annual investment proﬁle by sector. Construction phase

Sector Investment per year as a percentage (construction phase) 123456 Mirrors 10,00% 25,00% 25,00% 20,00% 20,00% 0,00% Telescope mechanics 15,00% 15,00% 25,00% 25,00% 15,00% 5,00% Control systems 5,00% 10,00% 25,00% 30,00% 15,00% 15,00% Adaptive Optics 10,00% 15,00% 25,00% 20,00% 20,00% 10,00% Heat trap 10,00% 15,00% 25,00% 25,00% 15,00% 10,00% Dome 5,00% 30,00% 40,00% 25,00% 0,00% 0,00% Civil works 10,00% 20,00% 30,00% 30,00% 10,00% 0,00% Scientiﬁc instruments 10,00% 15,00% 20,00% 20,00% 20,00% 15,00% Management and scientiﬁc support 15,00% 15,00% 20,00% 20,00% 15,00% 15,00% Auxiliary telescope 0,00% 0,00% 0,00% 0,00% 100,00% 0,00% Assembly, testing and preparation of the telescope 0,00% 0,00% 0,00% 0,00% 0,00% 100,00% Contingencies (20% over sectors) 15,00% 20,00% 25,00% 20,00% 10,00% 10,00%

Table 2 gives the level of investment nee - sectors detailed (scientific instruments, me- ded per sector per year as a percentage of chanics, control and adaptive optics). the overall budget according to estimates The contingency budget allows for uncer - made by the consortium responsible for tainties in other sectors and is estimated at the conceptual design. 20% based on the following considerations: Total investment per year according to . Technical project requirements: at the this estimate is shown in Graphic 1. present time there is no final specifi- Approximately 50% of the total invest - cation (final design, technical requirement will be needed for the first three years ments, etc.) for the various systems of the construction phase. Costs will incre- that will make up tthe EST. Some of ase year on year during this first phase, them will inevitably change over time with investment levels peaking during the and so cost estimates can only be ba - third and fourth years, as this is when most sed on preliminary designs and/or pro- work-packages will run simultaneously. The totypes and previous experience with final year in this graphic will see invest ment similar components. focus on the telescope assembly and tes- . Tender preparation and response from ting and preparation for observation phases. industry: all of the technical specifica- Work will also be completed on the main tions for each tender will need to be 27

Graphic 1. Estimated investment proﬁle for the EST construction phase

35.000,00 23% 30.000,00 21%

25.000,00 17% 15% 14% 20.000,00

K € 11% 15.000,00

10.000,00

5000,00

0,00 12 34 56

Years

sent to companies on the tender shor- . Changes in the general economic situa - tlist to avoid confusion over technical tion and in national regulations and details for the equipment and/or ser- laws: this factor is beyond the control of vices required. Any remaining price va- the project but has consequences for it, riations will result from the responses mainly due to increases in the cost of raw received from industry for both techni - materials and other industrial materials, cal and commercial elements (and are exchange rate ﬂuctuations (in the even - thus beyond the control of the project). tuality of sub contracts outside the euro The price ultimately paid to each enti - zone) and differences in labour laws, ty will depend on factors like their quali - customs and tax regimes. Although past ﬁcations and experience, the cha llenges variations in these factors are well do- implied by developing the technology cumented, future projections can only and the degree of industrial expansion be roughly anticipated and limited. required, ownership of the designs, de- . Construction delays: changes in timing gree of guarantee of the deliverables during the construction phase will affect requested from providers, structure and budget items, both in terms of annual location of markets, acquisition regu- distribution and the total amount paid lations in force, etc. for each sector. 28

Graphic 2. Estimated annual EST operational costs (k€) by sectors (euros 2010)

1000  Personnel 900  Metallurgy 800 Industry 700  Chemical Industry  Shops, restaurants, 600 accommodation 500 and repairs  Transport and 400 Communications 300  Building rental 200  Other Services 100

12345678910 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

operation phase Chemical Industry

It is foreseen that EST will operate for at least . Liquid Nitrogen 30 years after construction. . Industrial oil Estimated annual operating costs during . Diesel the ﬁrst years are put at around 7% of the . Helium € total construction budget (∼ 9 million). . Deionised water This percentage could be subject to slight . Alcohols variations over the lifetime of the telescope, . Liquid coolants as a result of improvements made to the . Other gases operating process, repairs to keep it func- tioning correctly, new instrument development and various contingencies during the Metallurgy Industry successive observation campaigns. Graphic 2 gives the estimated operating costs for the . Optical design EST (by sector) over the 30 years following . Optical instruments the Commissioning phase, assuming opti- . Optical treatments mum operating conditions and taking into . Optical instrument maintenance account the factors previously mentioned. . Hardware and software . Electrical installation . Electrical materials . Electrical equipment calibration . Electronic materials . Electronic equipment 29

. Electronics maintenance . Precision mechanics . Dimensional metrology calibration . Mechanical design . Hydraulics 2.2. relevance for the european solar . Climate control physics community: the role of east . Goods lifts

The view that a large aperture new genera- Transport and Communications tion solar telescope is needed to further understanding of the fundamental processes . Landline telephone of plasma physics in the Sun’s upper layers . Internet is unanimously shared by European solar . Mobile telephone physicists. . Courier services The report “A Science Vision for European . Post Astronomy, 2007” for the European ASTRO- . Staff sea and air travel NETE network, underlines this by advocating, . Vehicle hire as part of the range of medium size infras- . Vehicle purchase tructure, the construction of a ground-based large aperture 3 to 5 metre solar telescope Shops, restaurants, accommodation and repairs with adaptive optics and integral field spectropolarimeters for observing astrophysical . Hotels processes at their intrinsic scale. This would . Restaurants allow interaction between magnetic fields . Supermarkets and plasma in the solar atmosphere to be . Local service and product providers observed. . Vehicle maintenance In recent years several European research institutes have achieved a high level of com - Other Services petence in designing, building and operating advanced scientific instruments and . Fire prevention system this has given them a high profile in the area . Safety equipment of ground-based observation technology. . Water supply and transport The combined experience of these institu- . Congresses tions, together with the advanced capabili ty . Training courses of European industries in the sector, certainly . Events make possible the design and construction . Other of a solar telescope like the one proposed.

Buildings rental

. Headquarters rental 4 A Science Vision for European Astronomy, 2007 (Annex A2). . Other rentals (garages, staff apartments etc.) 30

Figure 5. Meeting of the EST consortium. Freiburg (Germany). 2011

It would also enhance the strengths and optimising observing time, data and the capacity of the organisations involved. scientific results obtained. This framework for European collabora- EAST is not only working on conceptual tion, with research centres and industries designs for the EST, from a scientific and working together, has already been applied technical perspective; it is also putting a in the EST conceptual design phase (figure 5). great deal of effort into determining the fi- The level of co-operation between the nancial arrangements and possible funding partners in EAST is such that it has already sources for the successive stages of the pro- been agreed to focus resources from the ject (preliminary design, construction and countries involved on operating this new operation), as well as options for the legal jointly developed telescope and, over time, entity that will oversee its construction and to close and dismantle almost all of the operation. The new European legal struc- existing solar physics facilities. As the EST can ture, the ”ERIC,” is being looked at in detail operate using various instruments simulta- (see section 7.2 for more information). neously, it will be possible for many more As will be set out later in this report, a groups than is usual at a solar telescope to significant percentage of the funding for use it during observation campaigns, thus the EST needs to come from the countries 31

Scientiﬁc relevance for European solar physicsF

If the project takes off, the European solar involved. EAST is therefore wor- physics community will be able, for the first king to improve co-operation bet- time, to look at the mechanisms in the pho- ween the different funding agen - tosphere and sub-photosphere that turn ki- cies in or der to obtain firm and netic plasma energy into magnetic energy lasting commi tments that will and to study how this energy is transported serve as a guaran tee and lead to a to the higher layers (chromosphere) and how financial agreement for the ope- it is again deposited in the plasma there. rating period of the EST. In recent This telescope will help us to solve the main years much effort has been devo- problems facing today’s observations and cu- ted to having the EST included on rrent models and theories. It will also very the European roadmap for large probably show us new, previously undetected research infrastructures, known phenomena. as the “ESFRI Roadmap.” The roadmap lists only science and technology infrastructure projects that are prioritized by EU Member Sta- 2.3. implications of the est for the host tes because of their excellence and poten- country tial worldwide scientific impact. This Road - map is expected to be updated in coming In this section we look briefly and specifi- years, providing an opportunity for the EST cally at the implications for Spain of the to be added to the list of future research in- construction and installation of the EST at frastructures that are going to be suppor- the Canary Islands' Astrophysics Observa- ted by Member State funding agencies. tories. If this option fails, European leadership We must be clear that Spain, with its re- in solar physics will be in serious danger due search centres and universities, is sufficien - to the rapidly approaching obsolescence of tly mature and experienced to participate Europe’s existing infrastructure and the lack in the scientific exploitation of this large te- of access to other large international pro- lescope in the same way as the other coun- jects in development. tries. It is significant enough the fact, in this sense, that the IAC coordinated the conceptual design phase of the Project and that

5 See section 4 for more details. 32

an IAC researcher was the first president of and the Global Network of Telescopes EAST is most significant. LAS CUMBES OBSERVATORY in Tenerife. In addition, whichever of the two locations . Building and operating the EST at the being considered as the site for the EST (OT ORM or the OT will bring economic re- and ORM) is finally chosen, there will be a turns for La Palma or Tenerife proportio - direct technical and economic impact on nate to consumption from these acti- the whole of Spain. vities and will encourage the develop- Science in Spain will benefit from this pro - ment of new infrastructure and servi- ject but there will also be benefits in other ces as they are neededG. areas like employment, economy and industry. . If the EST is sited in Europe, and speci- Briefly, the potential impacts are as follows: fically in Spain, it will encourage young . Siting the EST in the Canaries will direc - people to take up scientific vocations, tly result in the creation of a signifi cant bolstering the training and retention number of highly skilled jobs (around of young people in highly specialised 50 highly specialised jobs). Con sidering areas of physics, astronomy and engi- the experience of international organi- neering. sations like ESO (European Southern Observatory) and similar projects, the number of jobs taken up by lo cal and national person- Siting the EST at the Canary Islands’ Obser- nel has in ma ny cases been over vatories will strengthen Spain’s current role 60% of the total created. in solar physics and provide incentives for . Siting the EST at the ORM or OT scientific and technological development, will benefit and reinforce the with quantifiable economic returns through basic and advanced infrastruc- the creation of highly skilled jobs and incre- tures at both observatories. The ases in the number of specialist services. support facilities at both sites are being improved and updated every year in order to attract new research infrastructures for observational astronomy. Among the new facilities recently opened, or about to open, at these observatories, are the GTC and MAGIC II (Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov) on the island of La Palma, and GREGOR 6 See section 9.2 for more details. 33

2.4. scientific facilities for solar physics information, which serves as a base for subsequent high-resolution studies; although 2.4.1. Brief introduction for some years their importance has been reducing as a result of the continuous daily Solar telescopes are very similar to night te- images of the solar disc provided by the lescopes in terms of design and construc- Solar & Heliopheric Observatory (SOHO)H tion. However, solar observations require satellite. So, new solar telescopes for obser- telescopes and instruments capable of dis- ving the solar disc provide data on a very sipating large quantities of heat, which are short temporal scale and this is useful for received from the Sun, whilst maintaining research into short duration solar pheno- the highest possible spatial, spectral and mena, which is of great scientific interest. temporal resolution. Telescopes with apertures larger than . Solar radiation heats the surface of the half a metre provide an observation field co- Earth and generates a layer of turbu- vering only a fraction of the solar disc at an lent air that negatively affects image image scale that allows images to be obtai- quality. Solar telescopes are therefore ned at the diffraction limit in the focal pla - normally built in towers to reduce in- ne. In the past, most telescopes in the half fluence from this turbulent layer. to one metre range evacuated light trajec- . Solar telescope mirrors also concen- tories in order to avoid lack of homogeneity trate a large amount of light and so in the refraction index of the air in the interior heat onto a very small area, and there- of the telescope caused by the concentra- fore need devices to ensure that the tion of light from the Sun. Next generation heat is dissipated to avoid degrading 1.5 to 4 metre solar telescopes will be open the image quality as well as irrepara- structures, with complex cooling systems ble damage to the optical systems of for the primary mirror optics to remove heat the telescope and its instruments. absorbed from solar radiation. The optical components will be made from a material Most of the current solar telescopes have that is very resistant to thermal expansion apertures ranging from a few centimetres and, if possible, has maximum heat conduc- to approximately one metre diameter. So - me of these telescopes are linked together as part of a network for obtaining helioseis- 7 SOHO (Solar & Heliospheric Observatory) is an in- mological information. Others monitor so - ternational joint project between the ESA and lar activity and provide images of the solar NASA for studies of the Sun from a satellite from disc at different wavelengths or magneto- its deep nucleus to the external Corona and the solar wind. More information is available at: grams. These telescopes provide relevant http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/ 34

ting capacity. This last property of the ma- ropean high-resolution solar telescopes. terials used will simplify much of the coo- The following is a list of all the solar te- ling process and will significantly reduce the lescopes and instruments currently in use time needed to reach thermal equilibrium. at the Canary Islands’ Astrophysics Obser- Many of the observable phenomena in vatories. the solar atmosphere last for only a few mi- Even though a number of scientific bre- nutes and significant changes can occur in akthroughs of worldwide importance have just a few seconds. This means that high-re- been made using these European installa- solution solar telescopes must be able to tions, new paradigms in solar physics call deliver sufficiently high levels of light to pro- for a new generation of telescopes in the duce an adequate signal-to-noise relation. short and medium term, providing greater This is the key factor in obtaining informa- spatial and spectral resolution and light co- tion about the “weak” magnetic field in the llecting capacity in order to deal with short solar photosphere. Relevant small-scaled duration physical processes and to analyse objects are scarcely 100 km or less, which weak polarised spectral lines, for which the means that telescopes larger than 1 metre aperture of the telescope is critical. are needed to observe them. New generation telescopes with around 4 metre apertures will be capable of achieving high le vels 2.4.3. The short- and medium-term of light combined with short integration future: the new generation of solar times and excellent spatial resolution. telescopes

In the world as a whole, three 1.5 to 2 me - 2.4.2. Existing ground-based solar physics tre solar telescopes are currently at either infrastructures in Europe design or construction phase, with two of them due to enter service in 2012. The de- Over the last 25 years different European sign for these telescopes is technologically countries have built powerful telescopes innovative: the telescope tube does not con - that have signiﬁcantly expanded our un- tain a vacuum and is not ﬁlled with helium derstanding of the Sun. Very few observa- to prevent turbulent air entering the light’s tories have these facilities to observe our path as it travels to the instruments. They star. The Canary Islands’ Observatories, both therefore represent a half-way point bet- because of their geographical location (in ween current solar telescopes and the next tropical latitudes) and the transparency and excellent astronomical quality of their 8 ENO. A privileged site for astronomical observations skiesI, are home to the largest array of Eu- (Annex A3). 35

Teide Observatory (OT) Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory (ORM)

. THEMIS telescope (Heliographic Telescope for . SST Telescope (Swedish Solar Telescope) (High the Study of the Magnetism and Instabilities resolution imaging, adaptive optics and spec- on the Sun) (Spectropolarimetry). France. Aper- tropolarimetry). Sweden. Aperture: 100 cm. ture: 90 cm. In operation since 2002, this is Europe's lar- In operation since 1996, this is a joint expe- gest telescope and the world’s number one riment of the national research agencies of for high spatial resolution. The SST belongs to France (CNRS/INSU) and Italy (INAF), although and is operated by the Royal Swedish Acade - solely French institutions currently operate it. my of Science's Solar Physics Institute. . VTT Telescope (Vacuum tower telescope) (High . DOT Telescope (Dutch Open Telescope) (High resolution imaging, adaptive optics and spec- resolution imaging). Netherlands. Aperture: 45 tropolarimetry). Germany. Aperture: 70 cm. cm. In operation since 1989, this telescope be- In operation since 1997, it belongs to the longs to four German institutions: the Astro- University of Utrecht Astronomy Institute. The physikalisches Institut Potsdam, the Kiepen- DOT is unusual as an open telescope, fitted to heuer-Institut für Sonnenphysik (Freiburg, chair), a steel tower and with no vacuum system as the Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensys temfors - usually used to reduce atmospheric turbulen- chung (Lindau), and the Universitäts-Stern- ce caused by the intense solar radiation being warte Göttingen. focused on the telescope. Instead, DOT uses . Solar Laboratory (helioseismology, astroseismo- the wind to ventilate the telescope and its su- logy). Spain. rroundings, a key consideration for next gene- In operation since 1981. Currently working ration solar telescopes. with six instruments. Although the owners of the different instruments are from scientific Other European observatories are also home institutions outside the IAC, the IAC’s “Solar to solar instruments and telescopes, particularly: and Stellar Seismology and Exoplanet Search” . Kanzelhöhe Observatory, Austria. research group is responsible for operating . Locarno Observatory, Switzerland. them and actively participates in their scien- . Observatoire du Pic du Midi, France. tific exploitation through the international consortia established for this purpose. 36

generation, which will have apertures in the The EST will take images of the Sun’s mag - 4-metre range. In today's terms, these next netic field with the best available spatial generation telescopes present a technolo- and spectral resolution in the visible and gical challenge whose technical feasibility near infrared ranges of the electromagnetic is supported by two ground-breaking inno- spectrum. The EST is expected to see first vations: adaptive optics for solar telescopes light in 2020. and open cooled telescopes. The DOT, in La Diagram 1 shows the current design for Palma, has actually served as a reference for the EST compared to some of the world’s this new generation. most advanced existing solar telescopes, in - The German GREGOR telescope has a 1.5 cluding the new ATST which is under cons- metre aperture and is sited at the Teide Ob- truction. servatory in Tenerife. It is an open telescope in a Gregory configuration of three mirrors with a focal length of 54 metres. Its primary first-class worldwide sites for scientific mirror is made of Zerodur and is cooled on infrastructures to observe the sun the rear. The “New Solar Telescope” is in the commissioning phase at the Big Bear Solar High quality solar observation requires lo- Observatory. It is a 1.6 metre telescope with cations with low levels of turbulence in the an 88 metre effective focal length. Both teles - lower and higher layers. The atmosphere copes will have high order adaptive optics. must also present low levels of water vapour In India, work has started on designs for and dust particles to minimise the amount a new 2 metre solar telescope, to be insta- of light dispersion. Mountainous sites on lled at the Himalaya at an altitude of some relatively small islands meet these require- 5,000 metres. ments and are therefore considered to be In the United States the ATST telescope the best sites for solar physics observations. project at the National Solar Observatory is Lakes can also provide suitable sites for ob- already under construction and is hoped to servation as they inhibit local turbulence see first light in 2016 (Figure 6). ATST is a 4- and regulate temperature gradients. metre class telescope which is being built The following sites are currently conside- at Haleakala, at an altitude of 3,000 metres, red to be the most favourable for ground- in Hawaii. It is the American counterpart to based observation of the Sun. Europe’s project. 37

Figure 6. Artist’s impression of the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST)

. Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory There are also positive indications for si - (ORM), La Palma. Canary Islands. Spain. tes in Antarctica where excellent conditions Altitude: 2396 metres. for daily seeing have been detected, although they present adverse logistical conditions . Teide Observatory (OT). Tenerife. Canary given the extreme latitudes. Islands. Spain. In the near future it is hoped that charac- Altitude: 2390 metros. terisation campaigns at the observatories will include determination of the number . Mees Solar Observatory (MSO) Hawaii. and height of turbulent layers in the atmos - USA. phere above the telescope. This will enable Altitude: 3054 metros. multi-conjugate adaptive optics systems to compensate for image degradation caused . Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) Ca- by these turbulent layers. Currently the most lifornia. USA. comprehensively and extensively characte- Altitude: 2067 metros. rised observatories are the Canary Islands’ Astrophysics Observatories (ORM and OT). 38

Diagram 1. Table comparing solar telescopes currently at the ORM and OT with the ATST and EST

DOT VTT THEMIS SST La Palma Tenerife Tenerife La Palma

Telescope diameter: 0,45 m 0,70 m 0,90 m 1,0 m Location: ORM. La Palma. OT. Tenerife. OT. Tenerife. ORM. La Palma. Canary Islands. Canary Islands. Canary Islands. Canary Islands. Spain Spain Spain Spain

Owner: Netherlands Germany France Sweden

Construction 1994-1997 1983-1988 1993-1996 2000-2002 period: 39

GREGOR ATST EST Tenerife Haleakala Canary Islands

1,5 m 4,2 m 4,1 m OT. Tenerife. Haleakala. PREVISIÓN: Canary Islands. Hawaii. OT, Tenerife or ORM, Spain EEUU La Palma. Canary Islands. Spain Germany USA PROMOTERS: EAST Association 2005-2010 EXPECTED: EXPECTED: 2011-2016 2015-2020 40

Figure 7. Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory (ORM). La Palma. Canary Islands. Spain

Figure 8. Teide Observatory (OT). Tenerife. Canary Islands. Spain 41

Figure 9. Solar Mees Observatory (MSO). Hawaii. USA

Figure 10. Solar Big Bear Observatory (BBSO). California. USA 3. science with the est

The EST is a solar telescope that will help to stars are suns). The EST will look at the understand the physical processes taking fundamental solar processes at their ti- place in the atmosphere of our star with niest scales, allowing us to analyse phy - details of few tens of kilometres. Unders- sical phenomena in the greatest possible tanding these physical processes is crucial detail. for many reasons: 1. There is a fundamental link between the Earth and the Sun. The Sun is of pri- Solar astronomers all over the world una- mary importance because it maintains nimously agree that we must increase sig- life on Earth. Any change in conditions nificantly the observational capacity if we in the Sun could have dramatic conse- want to understand the fundamental pro- quences for us. Large amounts of ener - cesses that control the physics of the gy, stored in the magnetic fields, can be plasma in the Sun’s atmosphere. This view transferred to the plasma in very short is clearly stated by ASTRONET’s Science Vi- time scales, between seconds and mi- sion group. In their report A Science Vision nutes. These transfers can accelerate for European Astronomy they consider the the plasma to speeds of within a fraction following key questions to be approached of the speed of light and, if this accele- as a priority goal: rated plasma (in the form of a co ro nal . What can the Sun teach us about fun- mass ejection) reaches the Earth’s mag - damental astrophysical processes? Ob- ne topause, it can give rise to fascina- servations of the Sun reveal intricate ting events (auroras) and phenomena patterns of magnetic fields and the that are potentially dangerous for our complex dynamics of a stellar atmos- environment (damage to satellites, over - phere at the physically relevant spatial loading of energy lines, excessive radia- scales. tion exposure for space crews or the . What drives Solar variability on all sca- International Space Station, etc.). This les? The Sun varies on a wide range of means that it is essential for us to study spatial and temporal scales, displaying all of these processes to be in the posi- important energetic phenomena over tion of predicting them. the whole range. We do not fully un- 2. The Sun is a basic physics laboratory (the derstand and cannot accurately pre- interaction between the plasma and the dict basic aspects of Solar variability. magnetic field can only be studied in . What is the impact of Solar activity on the Sun’s extreme physical conditions). life on Earth? Solar magnetic activity 3. The Sun is a fundamental model for un - variations induce terrestrial changes derstanding the rest of the Universe (all which can affect millions of humans 45

500 10 )

400 -1 m ) 10 5 6 300 0 x10

( 200 z 5 Velocity (km s Velocity Field strngth (g) Field -5 100 -10 0 0

-5 40 30 30 25 20 20 15 x(x106 m) 10 5 10 y(x106 m)

Figure 11. Left: Loops in the Solar Corona observed by the TRACE satellite. Right: Conﬁguration of the magnetic ﬁeld in an emerging region, showing similar loops to those observed by TRACE. These results were obtained using near infrared spectropolarimetric data from the German VTT of the Observatorio del Teide.

on short and long time scales. We need The optical design and instruments of to predict disturbances of the space the EST is optimised for the observation of environment which are induced by the the coupling of the photosphere and the Sun and to understand the links bet- chromosphere. It will make possible to me- ween the Solar output and the Earth’s asure the thermal, dynamic and magnetic climate. properties of the plasma over many scales heights using imaging, spectroscopic and It recommends one main infrastructure spectropolarimetric instruments. The de- as the means to achieve this goal: signs of the EST is focused on using a large number of instruments simultaneously so A large-aperture (3-5 m) ground-based solar that light can be exploited more efficiently telescope with adaptive optics and integral- than at other current or future ground- field spectropolarimeters, with a precision of based or space telescopes (Figure 11) one part in 104, to resolve scales of the order In order to meet its scientific goals the of10 km in the photosphere, to observe astro - EST requires high spatial and temporal re- physical processes at their intrinsic scales, and solution. The aperture of a telescope essen- thereby observe the interaction of magnetic tially determines its resolving power but, fields and plasma motions in the Solar atmos- until very recently, ground-based solar te- phere lescopes have been limited by wavefront distortion induced by the Earth’s atmos- 46

Figure 12. Sunspot observed by the SST, at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos, in the blue and red wings of the Fe I magnetic line at 630.2 nm in September 2006. The image on the right shows the average intensity and the one on the left the difference between circular polarisation in the two wings. The spatial resolution of these images, which were obtained using 500 individual exposures, is due to the adaptive optics and restoration techniques used. The dark nuclei in the penumbra, discovered using the SST, are clearly visible in both intensity and polarisation (courtesy of Michiel van Noort, Institute for Solar Phsics).

phere. There now exist powerful adaptive In addition to spatial resolution, the light optics techniques for correcting much of collecting power of a large aperture is crucial this distortion. By using them it has been for solar research. Magnetic fields are de- possible to capture the first glimpses of the tected by gauging the state of polarisation fine structure of the sun’s surface, demons- of light in specially chosen spectral lines. trating that these correction techniques The fraction of the light that is polarised is are sufficiently well developed for our ob- very small (sometimes below 10-3). The ac- serving capacity to be limited only by the curacy required of these measurements is telescope size and not by atmospheric dis- mainly limited by the number of photons. tortion. We can now look for answers to the With a large aperture, more photons can be fundamental questions of the physics of detected from a given area on the solar sur- solar activity and its variability. face, and this is vital for achieving the re- 47

quired accuracy for polarimetric measure- the solar atmosphere to understand how ments of one part in 104. The time scales de- the magnetic field emerges through the termining changes in solar structures are solar surface, interacts with the dynamics of related to the speed of sound (7 km/s), in the plasma to transfer energy between the such a way that smaller structures evolve different regions before finally emitting it as more quickly. The temporal resolution re- heat or violent energetic events in the chro- quired is just a few seconds, and this means mosphere and the solar corona. The follo- the need for a large aperture telescope is wing phenomena are of particular interest: greater. . Formation and disappearance of in- The EST will fill a gap not covered by any tense magnetic flow concentrations in other instrument, either ground-based or the solar photosphere. space mission, currently or in the immedia - . Layers of current in the solar atmos- te future: it will be able to examine the mag - phere. netic coupling of the solar atmosphere, from . Emergence of small-scaled flow in the the deepest layers of the photosphere to calm Sun. the highest layers of the chromosphere, to . Magnetic cancellation in the calm Sun. reveal the thermal, dynamic and magnetic . Magnetic topology of the photosphere properties of the solar plasma at high spa- and chromosphere. tial and temporal resolution (Figure 12). To . Conversion of mechanical energy to do this, the EST is specialises to perform ac- magnetic in the photosphere. curate polarimetry at many simultaneous . Structure of the chromosphere; dyna- wavelengths. mics and heat. The Spanish solar physics community . Magnetic energy dissipation in the chro - was a main contributor to the document mosphere. Spanish Science Vision of EST: Magnetic Cou- . Physical processes in magnetised plas - pling of the Solar AtmosphereJ, a precursor ma (active regions, sunspots, prominen - for what subsequently became the EST ces and so on). Science Requirements DocumentBA. . Solar flares and space meteorology. In summary, the vision for Science with . Atomic physics. the EST is to observe simultaneously phenomena taking place at different heights in

9 Spanish Science Vision of EST: Magnetic Coupling of the Solar Atmosphere (Annex A4). 10 EST Science Requirements Document (Annex A5). 4. astrophysics observatories in the canary islands

under the Agreements for Cooperation in Astrophysics. Both the ORM and the OT are excellent European sites for housing challenging new solar physics technology projects like the EST, which would be a strategic replacement The excellent astronomical quality of the for the current array of solar telescopes. sky over the Canaries, which has been com- The observatories have been considered prehensively characterised and is protected and are still considered by the EU as Large by Law, makes the two Observatories of the Research Infrastructures under the succes- IAC an “astronomy reserve”, which has been sive Framework Programmes for RTD. On a open to the international scientific commu - national level, the observatories are also nity since 1979, as a result of the Agreements considered Singular Scientific and Techno- for Cooperation in AstrophysicsBB (BOE 6 July logical Infrastructures (ICTS) alongside so - 1979 and BOE 14 October 1983). me fifty installations for other scientific Currently, the OT (Tenerife) and the ORM disciplines across Spanish territory. Toge- (La Palma) are home to telescopes and ins- ther they form the ICTS map, a vital re- truments belonging to some 60 institu- source for improving and increasing the tions from 19 countries. The ORM and OT competitiveness of science, technology and are the most important observatories for innovation in Spain. The ICTS are all unique optical and infrared astrophysics within the in their field and extremely costly to build territories of the European Union. and maintain. They are designed to deliver Institutions from many different coun- progress in experimental science and tech- tries operate at the Observatories and their nological development, and they also sti- activities are coordinated by the Internatio- mulate business and the local economy in nal Scientific Committee (CCI, Comité Cien- the areas where they are located. tífico Internacional). Available observation time at each installation is allocated by Time Allocation Committees (TAC). 75% of 4.1. the roque de los muchachos obser- this time is generally allocated by the na- vatory – orm tional Committee of the country or countries that own the telescope; 5% of time at The Roque de los Muchachos Observatory all telescopes is allocated to large interna- (ORM)BC is situated in Garafía, at an altitude tional teams and major observational proof 2,396 metres on the island of La Palma. jects; and the remaining 20% is allocated to It covers a surface area of 189 hectares, ho - Spanish researchers by Spain’s TAC as the me to its “telescopic installations” (specia- return earmarked for the host country lised observation instruments owned by one or a number of scientific institutions) together with other infrastructures and user

11 Agreement for Cooperation in Astrophysics (Annex services. A6). The most noteworthy of all the installations 12 http://www.iac.es/eno/orm at the ORM is the GTC, a highly-equipped

telescope with a 10.4 metre segmented pri- United Kingdom, Netherlands, Ireland and, mary mirror, which entered service in 2009. through the IAC, Spain, also includes the 2.5 The GTC project is a Spanish initiative, led m “Isaac Newton” Telescope (INT). It was by the IAC with support from the Spanish with this telescope that, in 1991, the brigh- national and regional governments, in colla - test object hitherto known in the Universe boration with Mexico, through its IA-UNAM was discovered, a quasar 12,000 million light (Astronomy Institute of the National Auto- years from the earth that is 100,000 billion nomous University of Mexico) and INAOE times brighter than the Sun. (National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics This Observatory is as perfect for night and Electronics), and the United States observation as it is for solar physics. The through the University of Florida. proof of this is the quality of the high-reso- The “William Herschel” Telescopio (WHT), lution images of the Sun obtained with the is another remarkable ORM installation, SST, a 1 m telescope owned by the Royal Swe - with a 4.2 m primary mirror. Its large diame - dish Academy of Sciences. Together with ter, advanced instruments and location ma - Norway, Finland and Denmark, Sweden is a ke it one of the world's leading telescopes. member of the NOT Foundation, which built Numerous discoveries have been made with the NOT, which has a 2.56 m primary mirror the WHT including, for the ﬁrst time, con- and can produce very clear astronomical ﬁrmation of the existence of a black hole in images. The NOT can be used for a range of our galaxy. different observation programmes in both The WHT belongs to the “Isaac Newton the visible and infrared spectral ranges. One Group of Telescopes”. This group, which is example is the study of rapid variation in comprised of science organisations in the cataclysmic stars and certain types of white 53

dwarfs in the visible range. In terms of infra - jointly by the Observatory of the University red capacity, NOT’s infrared spectrograph of Copenhagen (Denmark) and the San Fer- can be used to view everything from near by nando Royal Naval Institute and Observa- stars to distant galaxies. It is an ideal instru - tory (San Fernando, Càdiz, Spain) until 2006 ment for investigating the central re gions when it became the exclusive responsibility of our galaxy, which are hidden by clouds of of the IAC in 2006. This transit telescope, interstellar dust, and also star-forming re- which is designed to plot the position of ce- gions. lestial objects very precisely, is the most efﬁ - The DOT is also a solar telescope. Its de- cient in the world (over 100,000 star tran sits sign is innovative, incorporating high angu- through the meridian per year). It played a lar resolution and the ability to observe at decisive role in the Voyager probe's encoun- night. It consists of an open 15 m high tower ters with the planet Uranus, Giotto's visit with a 45 cm aperture telescope at the top. to Halley's comet, Galileo’s journey to Jupi- Its open structure (it has no dome to house ter and others, and observed star positions the telescope while operating) allows air to for the data catalogue of the Hipparcos as- ﬂow freely, keeping the air around at the sa- trometric satellite. In 1994 a pilot collabora- me temperature and so guaranteeing the tion project between this telescope and the best possible image quality. This telescope Space Telescope Science Institute, in Balti- belongs to the University of Utrecht (Ne- more (STScI, United States) began, with the therlands) and was funded by the Dutch aim of establishing a dense network of gui - Technology Foundation. de stars for reducing data from Schmidt The ORM is also home to the Automatic plates, which form the basis of the Hubble Transit Circle (ATC), which was operated Space Telescope Guide Star Catalogue (GSC) 54

and thus establishing the plates’ accuracy limitations. Italy also has the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) at the ORM, a 3.58 m telesco - the result of a joint project between univer- pe which entered service in June 1996. It is sities and research institutes on high ener- one of the “new technology” telescopes, gy gamma ray and cosmic ray observations. which can produce higher quality images MAGIC II, which is some 85 metres away than conventional telescopes. Designed to from MAGIC I, can increase the sensitivity observe the night sky, it is fitted with the of the first telescope by up to three times best optical, computer and engineering equi - when operated together with it. pment. It has an azimuth mount and Rit- MERCATOR (Catholic University of Louvain, chey-Chrétien type optical configuration, Belgium) is a telescope with a 1.2 m primary with two lateral Nasmyth-type foci. Its op- mirror, which is mainly designed for pro- tics have active control systems for the best jects that require a large number of night optical quality, making the TNG a cutting observations, such as astroseismology, or edge telescope. It belongs to Italy’s Consi- flexible time assignation, which is particu- glio per le Ricerche Astronomiche (CRA) and larly useful for phenomena like supernova was built by the Astronomical Observatory explosions. of Padua (Italy). Completing the line-up of facilities at the The ORM is also home to Liverpool Teles- ORM is SUPERWASP, a small robotic telescope (LT) belonging to the Liverpool John cope used for seeking planets. Moores University. It is the world’s largest ro- This line-up confirms that the ORM is an botic telescope, with a 2 m primary mirror. It observatory with wide-ranging internatio- is operated by remote control and is also nal experience, which is equipped with all used for school science outreach. the essential infrastructures (roads, electri- The ORM also houses two Cherenkov te- city, telecommunications, etc.) needed for lescopes, MAGIC I and MAGIC II, which are successful logistics of the institutions that 55

it houses. The infrastructure available also is at the juncture of La Orotova, Fasnia and includes the ORM Residence, with a range of Güímar municipal areas. The first telescope facilities (day and night rooms, kitchen and designed to work with zodiacal light, light dining room, reception, guest and games dispersed by interplanetary material, ope- rooms) for use by all scientific and technical ned in 1964. personnel at the Observatory. The Teide Observatory’s geographical position, together with the transparency and 4.2. the teide observatory - ot excellent astronomical quality of its sky, mean that it is generally reserved for work The OT is at an altitude of 2,400 m in the on the Sun and is home to the best European Izaña region of the island of Tenerife. It co- solar telescopes. vers a surface area of 50 hectares and hou- One of the most emblematic telescopes ses around fifteen telescope installations at the Teide Observatory is the VTT, a con- and other specialised observation instru- ventional solar telescope based on the ce- ments (Figure 13). lostat (two-mirror) system, which focuses Astrophysics in the Canary Islands began light into the telescope from the top of the in the early 1960s at this Observatory, which tower and reflects it through all of its 10 56

Figure 13. Observatorio del Teide (OT)

floors. Its primary mirror is 70 cm in diameter observe different parts of the solar spectrum and it has a focal length of 46 m. The VTT simultaneously, from the near infrared to the has several optical laboratories equipped for near ultraviolet. This is a unique feature in a every type of optical mount. Some of these solar telescope and allows three-dimensio- use permanent systems but there is always nal studies of the of the Sun’s atmosphere. room for temporary specialised instruments Another solar telescope of worldwide im- when they are needed for new tasks. portance, a joint experiment by the national The VTT is equipped with a variety of ins- research agencies of France (CNRS/INSU) truments for taking high quality readings and Italy (INAF) is THEMIS. It is a solar teles- from plasma flows and magnetic fields. So me cope with a useful aperture of 90 cm, curren - of the instruments can work together to tly the world’s fourth largest. THEMIS stands 57

for “Télescope Héliographique pour l’Etude lisches Institut Potsdam, the Kiepenheuer- du Magnétisme et des Instabilités Solaires”. Institut für Sonnenphysik, the Universitäts- It is designed speciﬁcally for high accuracy Sternwarte Göttingen and other national spectropolarimetry of the sun’s surface. It and international partners. GREGOR is de- is capable of measuring simultaneously the signed to take highly accurate readings from 4 Stokes parameters which measure light the magnetic ﬁeld and the movement of polarization. gas in the solar photosphere and chromos- GREGOR is a new 1.5 m solar telescope cu - phere, resolving details of up to 70 km on rrently being built at the Teide Observatory the surface of the Sun, and for high-resolu- in Tenerife. It is largely the work of a German tion stellar spectroscopy. Its inauguration is consortium made up of the Astrophysika- anticipated for 2012. 58

The Solar Laboratory, property of the IAC, is The Telescopio Carlos Sánchez (TCS) has a special installation as its six component ex - a 1.52 m primary mirror. The TCS was desig- periments (instruments) operate continuous - ned and built under the supervision of Prof. ly (every day and, for some instruments, J. Ring (ICSTM), working with other groups non-stop for the last 25 years) day and night. from the United Kingdom and the IAC. In Although the owners of the differ ent ins tru - operation since 1972, this telescope is desig- ments are from scientiﬁc institutions outsi de ned for infrared night observations. the IAC, the IAC’s “Solar and Stellar Seismo- Surprisingly, in spite of its low cost, it has logy and Exoplanet Search” research group been one of the world’s largest and most operates them and uses them for scien tiﬁc productive infrared telescopes. The TCS has work via the international consortia set up also acted as a pilot to gain the experience to coordinate activities at the telescope. necessary to build large telescopes. 59

The IAC-80 was designed and built enti- sion, one of the most intense energy explo- rely by the IAC and was the first of this class sions in the universe. of telescope to be developed in Spain. The The Optical Ground Station (OGS) was IAC began work on it in 1980 and it was per- built as part of the European Space Agency’s manently installed at the OT in 1991. (ESA) strategic plans for research in the field Amongst its most remarkable achieve- of inter-satellite optical communications. ments are the discovery of Teide 1, the first The original task for this mission, which was brown dwarf ever discovered; a ten year ob- equipped with a 1 metre telescope, is to per- servation of a gravitational lens, which yiel- form in-orbit tests of laser telecommunica- ded information about dark matter in the tion terminals on board satellites in low Earth universe; and images of the celestial body and geostationary orbits. Since 2001, the responsible for a violent gamma ray explo- ESA survey of Space Debris in the Geosta- 60

tionary Orbit and the Geostationary Trans- can use for practise, is also open to amateur fer Orbit is also being carried out with a de- astronomers. voted wide field camera attached to the Since 1984 the OT has been the location Ritchey-Chretien focus. Furthermore, ap- for numerous experiments for measuring proximately a third of the observing time is cosmic microwave background radiation used for basic astronomical research from (CMB) and determining its angular potential ESA and IAC science teams with dedicated spectrum at scales ranging from just a few instruments either in the coudé or in the Rit - degrees to several arc minutes. Of the most chey-Chretien foci recent experiments, the most noteworthy are: The OT also houses several robot telesco- . The VSA (Very Small Array) experiment: pes like the United Kingdom’s Bradford Ro- A joint project by the Cavendish Labo- botic Telescope (BRT) (with four tubes from ratory (University of Cambridge, Uni- wide field to deep sky); STELLA, a long-term ted Kingdom), the “Jodrell Bank Centre project for observing and monitoring cold for Astrophysics” of the University of star activity with two robot telescopes; and Manchester, and the IAC. It was installed the Optical Telescope Array (OTA), which has in 1999 and began operating in October two automatic domes with a meteorological 2000. The observing technique used in station, two Schmidt Cassegrain reflecting the VSA experiment consists of arran- telescopes, two robot telescope mounts and ging antennae as an interferometric an “All Sky” camera. This last telescope is the group, a method pioneered by the Cam - product of an agreement between the IAC bridge astronomers. The group measu- and the Society of the Telescope (ST) of De- res the CMB signal, which is extremely laware in the United States, on behalf of Te- weak and identical for all of the recei- lescope Time, Inc., for remote-control optical ving antennae. telescopes at the Teide Observatory for edu- . The COSMOSOMAS experiment: This ex - cation and public outreach. periment was designed and built enti- MONS, a 50 cm diameter reflecting teles- rely at the IAC and commenced in 1998. cope, which students from any university It consists of two similar instruments, 61

COSMO11 and COSMO15, thought out In 2008 a telescope was installed at the for producing intermediate angular sca - Observatory for the future EARTHSHINE net - le maps of cosmological structures and work, whose main mission will be to determi - of diffuse emission in our galaxy. ne the global albedo completely calibrated from the earth and to characterise its an- In 2012 the QUIJOTE CMB (Q-U-I JOint TE- nual variability. nerife CMB experiment) will begin operating; it is a joint project by the IAC, the Instituto de Física de Cantabria (Santander, Spain), the Department of Communications Engi- neering (Santander, Spain), the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics (University of Man- chester, United Kingdom), the Cavendish La- boratory (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom), and the IDOM company (Spain). It will consist of two similar antennae that will be used to measure microwave polarization in the sky at a range of frequencies including 11 GHz to 30 GHz and at angular scales of 1°. 5. assessment factors

5.1. atmospheric characterisation what is known as the “sea of clouds”, where the atmosphere is normally clear, Access to the best possible scientiﬁc quality clean and free from turbulence as a result for observations is the factor that ultima- of the stability provided by the nearby tely decides the site for important installa- sea. tions like the EST. Given this, it is evident that the quality of the sky in the Canary Is- The quality of the sky over the Canaries lands puts the Roque de los Muchachos has long been recognised. As far back as 1856 Observatory on the island of La Palma, and the Royal Scottish Astronomical Society per- the Teide Observatory in Tenerife, at the fo- formed a series of experiments at mountain- refront of the world’s leading observatories. tops on the island of Tenerife which led them The excellent conditions at these Observa- to conclude that the sky over the Canary Is- tories result from the Canary Islands’ geo- lands was excellent for astronomical obser- graphical location and their orography, the vations (Tenerife: An Astronomer’s Expe riment, continuous characterisation of their skies Piazzi Smyth, 1858). and the measures in place to protect sky In 1968 a number of European institu- quality. tions worked together on a joint campaign The astronomical quality of an observa- to gather data for characterising a number tory is largely determined by the transpa- of sites for solar observation. They compa- rency of the sky above it and the number of red 40 different sites and ultimately conclu- useful observation hours it offers each year ded that the best conditions were to be (useful time). These two parameters are in- found in Tenerife and La Palma (Vistas in As- timately bound up with the site’s climate tronomy, 28, 437, 1985). and geography. In 1979 Spain signed the “Agreement and The Canary Islands have excellent condi- Protocol for Cooperation in Astrophysics” tions for astronomy for the following rea- with several other European countries, which sons: led to the creation of the Teide and Roque . They are close to the equator and out de los Muchachos Observatories. of the range of tropical storms. In 1988 Law 31/1988, commonly known as . The Observatories are at an altitude of the “Sky Law” was published, with the aim 2,400 m above sea level, over the ther- of creating an “Astronomy reserve” on the mal inversion layer of the Trade Winds islands by protecting the darkness of the (they form at about 1,000 m). This en- sky, limiting radio frequency emissions and sures that the installations are above controlling light pollution. 65

Since 1990 the IAC has operated the “Sky characterization parameters at the cana - Quality Group”, whose mission is to conti- ry islands’ astronomical observatories nuously characterise the observatories, using instruments and techniques to gather data Among the most relevant characterisation for a long-term database that can be con- parameters for daytime observation at the trasted and compared with other high level observatories, are image quality, sky trans- observatories. The Site Properties Sub-Com- parency and useful observation timeBD. Each mittee (SUCOSIP) was created at the same of these parameters is discussed in more time, under the auspices of the International detail below: Science Committee, to advise on the adequate installation of infrastructures at the 13 Another relevant parameter in characterising sites Observatories. Its main purpose is to ensure for astronomical observation is the “sky background.” However this parameter, which deﬁnes that no new installation has an adverse effect the magnitude limit for night observations at any on observing conditions for existing teles- given wavelength is not specially relevant to solar copes. telescopes. 66

Table 3. Daytime seeing values at the ORM Table 4. Night seeing at the ORM

Number of hours/year with r0 > 7 cm BEHeight above ground Number of hours Nº hours (per year) Seeing value

level with r0 > 7 cm 648,8 < 0,45” (ﬁrst quartile) 8 metres 311 1297,6 < 0,64” (second quartile) 18 metres 632 1946,4 < 0,90” (third quartile) 28 metres 887 38 metres 1093

At the Canary Islands Observatories, the Number of hours/year with r > 12 cm 0 number of hours of a particular seeing per BFHeight above ground Number of hours year is very well known, as it is based on level with r > 12 cm 0 statistics from over decades. This allows a 8 metres 54 very optimised observing planning for Fle- 18 metres 136 xible Scheduling, the model increasingly 28 metres 225 being used for large telescopes. 38 metres 324 Seeing values for daytime observations were documented during the site-testing Image quality campaign for the ATST telescope at the ORM and are given in table 3. Image quality is limited by atmospheric tur - bulence and its integrated measurement is Sky transparency defined as the typical size of a point source in the focus of an ideal telescope; this is The transparency of the sky is measured known as seeing. using an astronomical parameter known as Seeing is a key parameter for evaluating “atmospheric extinction” (Figure 14). Extinc- the atmospheric quality of an observatory tion is the process of absorption and dis- and especially for obtaining the best results persion of light in the Earth0’s atmosphere from very modern technology like adaptive and is classified according to its extinction optics. It is in this area, image quality in day- coefficient. The main causes of loss of trans - and night-time observations, where the Ca- parency in the sky are clouds and aerosols nary Islands’ Observatories excel. This can (including dust). be seen from the high spatial resolution Most of the masses of air flowing into the images achieved by its telescopes. Canaries archipelago come from the North Atlantic. They are marine aerosols, in other words, ultraviolet absorbent chlorides, which do not affect visible-infrared astronomical 14 r0 is the Fried parameter used to measure turbu- observations. A second group is anthropo- lence in the atmosphere over the observatory; a genic in origin and of little significance. A minimum of 7 cm is needed for the AO/MCAO to third group is made up of masses of air from operate. the Sahara, which normally contain airbor - 15 r0 > 12 cm indicates periods of excellent seeing. 67

Figure 14. An impressive example of the transparency of the Canary Islands’ sky. n this photograph, taken from the ORM (La Palma) in the evening, Mount Teide (Tenerife), 143 km away and the highest peak in Spain, can be seen clearly together with the National Park that it stands in. ne dust. This phenomenon, known as the orography in the Canaries requires very high calima, affects the eastern and western is- spatial resolution satellite data combined lands differently, causing drainage at high with site readings. levels and showing considerable seasonal variation: there are noticeable differences Measuring atmospheric extinction (astro- between the summer inﬂuxes, which can nomical techniques) reach the summits (high calima) and the winter ones which frequently affect the The traditional method consists of calcu- low troposphere (anticyclonic calima). lating the loss of light at a telescope focus. The anticyclonic calima is associated with The Canaries has the most comprehensive strong anticyclonic and stationary condi- atmospheric extinction database, obtained tions caused by the build up of dust between by the ATC telescope (previously called Carls - the ground and the thermal inversion layer. berg) at the ORM on the island of La Palma, The calima helps to lower the inversion la - which has been operating automatically yer and dust retention by the sea of clouds and continuously since 1984. The median (sea of dust) and very often preventing it extinction coefﬁcient value for photometric from reaching the summits where it could nights is 0.19 mag (at 480 nm), 0.09 mag affect astronomical observations. Charac- (at 625 nm) and 0.05 mag (at 767 nm). terising these features of the climate and 68

25 Figure 15. Extinction frequency over 20 oct.-may. the ORM in winter (above) and 15 summer (centre). In both cases the 10 modal value is 0.11 mag/air mass. 5 The corresponding cumulative 0 frequency is also shown (below). 25 The vertical line indicates the limit 20 jun.-sep. Frequency (%) Frequency from which dust can arise 15 (K =0,153). 10 V 5 0 100 The lower part of the oct.-may. graphic shows that 90% 75 jun.-sep. of time during the winter 50 months is dust-free. For 25 the summer months the 0 percentage is around 75%.

Cumulative frequency (%) frequency Cumulative 0,1 0,15 0,2 0,25 0,3 0,35 0,4 0,45

The ATC telescope can also be used on with the amount of time that observation nights with aerosols (Saharan dust) to esti- is restricted by adverse atmospheric condi- mate the effect of dust on atmospheric ex- tions at around 20%. tinction. The results are given in figure 15 for winter (above) and summer (centre). Implementation of Adaptive Optics techniques; important parameters Useful time New generation telescopes need to use The quality of an observatory is clearly de- Adap tive Optics techniques (AO) to impro - pendent on the number of useful hours it ve image quality and attempt to bring it up provides each year. Useful observation time to the telescope’s diffraction limit. Turbulen - is the amount of time during which obser- ce in the atmosphere degrades the image, vations can be undertaken without the res- breaking the image produced at the focus trictions imposed by adverse weather con- up into speckles and causing detail in the ditions. The definition of “adverse condi- structures that can be observed on the Sun’s tions” varies from one telescope to another surface to be lost. This speckling (seeing) is but, in general, the criteria include: wind measured using the Fried parameter r0, speed, humidity and aerosols in the atmos- which gives the size of the largest teles- phere and snow or ice. cope that does not “see” atmospheric tur- The ORM for example, is estimated to de- bulence. liver an average of 3,197 hours of useful ob- Starting from defined reasonable seeing servation time per year for solar telescopes, conditions (around 2 arc seconds, or a Fried 69

Figure 16. The SHABAR instruments installed at the ORM and OT respectively.

parameter of 7 cm) techniques can be used and three metre arm. This instrument mea - to correct the distortion that the atmos- sures the degree to which the Sun’s light phere causes to incident wave fronts. At- sparkles, as a result of atmospheric turbulen - mospheric turbulence is caused by a range ce, at different heights above ground level. of different phenomena and, based on them, Two of these long SHABARS are routinely the atmosphere is usually separated into la- employed on solar campaigns at the ORM yers: the superﬁcial layer (SL), the bound and OT. layer (BL) and the free atmosphere (FA). The free atmosphere, which starts approxima- 5.2. sky protection in the canary islands tely one kilometre above the ground, is affected by global effects such as shearing The Spanish Government, at the request of caused by vertical gradients in wind speed. the Canary Islands Parliament, passed the The bound layer is continuously interacting Law for the Protection of the Astronomical with the ground, local orography and phe- Quality of the IAC Observatories (Law 31/ nomena; it is typically located less than 1 km 88)BG on the 31st October 1988, and on the 13th above the ground. Inside it is another much March 1992 the Regulations enforcing it thinner layer which makes surface contact (R.D. 243/1992)BH. with the ground and is directly affected by day/night temperature ﬂuctuations; it relies almost exclusively on the thermal sta- 16 Law 31/1988 of 31st October, for Protection of the bility of the site and the properties of the Astronomical Quality of the Observatories of the ground (thermal inertia – conductivity). IAC (Annex A7). 17 ROYAL DECREE 243/1992, of 13th March, giving ap- During the sky characterisation campaign proval to the Regulations of Law 31/1988, of 31st Oc- for the EST several SHABAR (Shadow Band tober, on protection of the astronomical quality of Ranger, Figure 16) were designed with half the Observatories of the IAC (Annex A8). 70

The Law contains a range of measures de- cury vapour and metallic halogen lights signed to assure the outstanding quality of are prohibited. the observatories of the Instituto de Astrofí- 4. Any type of lamp can be used for or- sica de Canarias, as recommended by the In- namental lighting on public buildings ternational Astronomical Union. and at sports and recreation facilities, Light pollution is a generic term used to but they must be turned off after describe all of the undesirable effects of ar- midnight. tificial light. One of the most damaging ef- 5. Low pressure discharge lamps and in- fects for astronomy is the glow or glare of candescent lighting can only be used light in the night sky. It is caused by artificial for advertising if they are turned off light reflecting on and being diffused by after midnight. Projectors and lasers particles of gas and air. It generally results may not be used for advertising, or re- from poorly de signed streetlights, which creational or cultural activities. shine light directly towards the sky or outsi - 6. Finally, a total luminous flux limit is in de the area requiring illumination, and al so force in certain areas of the island of by excessive illumination. La Palma. Any lighting installation within the area covered by Radio electrical pollution The Spanish Govern- the Sky Law must comply includes electromagnetic ra - ment, at the request with some basic standards: diation emissions. The law of the Canary Islands 1. Outdoor lighting must also sets down limits for Parliament, passed the not shine above the electromagnetic radiation Law for the Protection horizon and must use to prevent interference with of the Astronomical lamps that produce the equipment and readings at Quality of the IAC Ob- least possible disrup- the astronomical observa- servatories (Law 31/88) tion to astronomical tories. on the 31st October observations. A power flow density li - 1988, and on the 13th 2. The spectral profile of mit has also been set, calcu- March 1992 the Regu- the light emitted by lated from the EIRP (equi- lations enforcing it outdoor lighting will valent isotropically radiated (R.D. 243/1992) be in such a way that power) in the direction of the global radiance for the observatories, to ensure all wavelengths under 440 nm will be that levels within them are never higher lower than 15% of the total radiance. than 2x10-6 W/mC for each frequency, equi- 3. Only sodium vapour lights may be used valent to an electric field with an intensity for road lighting. Colour corrected mer - of 88,8 dB µ V/m. 71

riat for periodic readings of the ra - dio frequency background to be ta - ken at both observatories. Atmospheric pollution is one of the fastest growing environmental problems. Gases released into the atmosphere as a result of hu man activity produce noxious effects on atmospheric patterns, with consequences for the health of people, animals and plants. Deterioration in the quality of the atmosphere brings with it deterioration in astronomical observations. The Sky Law imposes controls on activities that could damage the atmosphere in the area surrounding the observatories. No indus - try, activity or service that could cause atmospheric pollution is per - mitted to operate above an altitu - de of 1,500 metres. As the area surrounding the observatories abuts a National Park it is governed by environmental re - gulations and so has a higher level of protection than normal (in the The combined effect of multiple interfe - sa me way as natural protected spaces and ren ce produced by radio-communication na tional parks). stations has also been taken into account, Aviation routes can cause interference using the quadratic sum method deﬁned and impact on sky transparency. The inter- by the International Radio Consultative Com - ference is in the form of clouds created by mittee. the condensation of aeroplane exhaust and In order to control radio electrical pollu- combustion gases. tion, an agreement has been reached with One of the IAC’s major achievements in the General Telecommunications Secreta- its endeavours to protect the observatories 72

potential sources of pollution are in force across the whole island. To support the application of the law and to preserve the astronomical quality of the Canary Islands’ Ob- servatories, the IAC created the Sky Quality Protection Technical Offi ce (OTPC) in 1992BI. The OTPC's work has served as an example for other similar offices. Lastly it should be remembered that the island of La Palma is, in its entirety, a UNESCO (United Nations Edu- cational, Scientific and Cultural Or ga- nization) biosphere reserve, a deno- mination awarded on the 6th Novem - ber 2002.

was the declaration, on 17th May 1998, of an 5.3. geological risk “Ecological Protection Zone” covering airs- pace over the observatories. The Canary Islands’ astronomical observa- Aeroplanes must fly outside 10 degrees tories, at Roque de Los Muchachos on La above the horizon as seen from the obser- Palma and Teide on Tenerife, are in geologi- vatories and must not fly within 5 km of cally active areas, particularly with regard them horizontally. The area with effective to volcanoes. The last volcanic eruptions protection is defined in AIP España refe- were in 1971 on La Palma, and 1909 on Tene- rence ENR 5.6-6 of the 17th May 1998 with rife. The orography sculpted by this geolo- the identification F11-IZAÑA and F12-ROQUE gical activity is, in large part, responsible for DE LOS MUCHACHOS. the excellent local atmospheric conditions. The area where this national law is in ap- Large day and night telescopes (specifi- plication includes the whole of La Palma. cally solar telescopes), whether existing or Lighting restrictions in Tenerife are in force across three quarters of the island (to pro- 18 IAC. Protecting the sky over the Canaries. Sky Qua- tect the ORM) and restrictions on all other lity Protection Technical Office (Annex A9). 73

planned (30 and 50 metre class night ob- that regulate seismic phenomena in an area. servation telescopes and 4 metre solar te- Results from the GSHAP give the peak ground lescopes) must be designed to not only acceleration (PGA) rate and the probability withstand seismic and/or volcanic activity of it increasing by 10% in the next 50 years. but also to minimise operating time lost to Data for the Canaries were interpreted by the mechanical and optical misalignment González de Vallejo et al. (2006) and the re- it can cause. sults are shown in figure 17 and table 5. Seismic and volcanic activity poses a ran - Lava flow risk is the probability of an area ge of risks to an astronomy observatory but being affected by lava flow following volca- for the purposes of this report only those nic activity. For all volcanic risk, the research that pose a direct threat to telescopes, like team liaised with the Alicia Felpeto group seismic risk, lava inundation, volcanic ash at the CSIC Natural Science Museum in Ma- and geological changes in the landscape, drid, to map the areas susceptible to basal- are considered. tic eruptions (mafics) and more explosive A risk assessment methodology has been eruptions (felsics) on the island of Tenerife. developed for observatories, based on the The resulting maps are reproduced in figu- probability of an event occurring in the forth - re 18 and show the areas with the greatest coming 50 years, the anticipated lifespan of risk of volcanic activity. In La Palma, it is the a new telescope or solar tower. extreme south of the island (the Cumbre The figures and tables below give verified, Vieja volcano) that could erupt. The proba- comparable data for the two observatories. bility of lava invasion is given in figure 19 The tables use the most recent available in- and shows that the risk at the Roque de los formation, which has been verified with the Muchachos Observatory is negligible as the help of leading national groups in the field last eruption in the area took place over of geological risk. This atmosphere of colla- 400,000 years ago. boration has been very productive and has Ash risk is the risk of an area being covered provided confirmation of the reliability of in ash from volcanic activity nearby. Ash fall the results. is determined by the direction and strength In 2010 a detailed seismic risk assess- of the wind and the explosiveness of the ment was carried out at the ORM/OTBJ. The volcano, measured using the Volcanic Ex- study was undertaken on the recommendation of the Global Seismic Hazard Assess- 19 Geological Hazards at the Astrophysical Observa- ment Program (GSHAP)CA, which employs a tories of Roque de los Muchachos and Teide, Cana - probability method which uses data about ry Islands, Spain (Annex A10). past seismic, tectonic, geological and volca- 20 Website: http://www.seismo.ethz.ch/GSHAP/glo- nic activity to define the statistical laws bal/. 74

28.90

Prof. (km) 28.63 0–33 33–70 70–150 > 150 28.37

Magnitude 28.10 5–6 4–5 3–4 1–3 Latitude (degrees) Latitude 27.83

27.57 –18.2 –17.5 –16.8 –16.0

Longitude (degrees)

Figure 17. Distribution of seismic activity in the western Canary Islands from 1973 to 2010 obtained by the NEIC (US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (USGS) HTTP://NEIC.USGS.GOV). The depth and magnitude of earthquakes are shown as circles in different shades of grey and of different sizes, respectively. The red circle contains the area where the probable seismic risk is PGA=0.06g; for the remainder the PGA=0.05g, where PGA refers to the maximum peak ground acceleration rate.

Table 5. Approximate estimate of magnitude with a 10% probability of being exceeded in the next 50 years within 100 km around the observatories. Data based Observatory Peak Ground Anticipated magnitude on the results shown in Figure 17 Acceleration (PGA) at 100 km (Richter scale) La Palma 0.5 m/sC 5.80 Tenerife 0.6 m/sC 6.00

plosivity Index (VEI), which gives values bet- cause the frequency of large explosive erup - ween VEI=2 for a small scale basaltic eruptions is unknown. tion to VEI=4 for a sub-plinian eruption (Fi - Risk of changes in the ground looks at in- gure 20). The risk at the ORM is negligible clines that could appear in the ground at due to the fact that the prevailing winds the observatories if volcanoes became acti - blow East, rather than North, and the fact ve, which would affect the alignment of me - that a VEI=3 has never occurred in La Palma. chanical and optical components, pointing On Tenerife risk is not negligible, largely be- and tracking systems in telescopes. The risk 28.50

28.44 –2.1

–3.1 28.38 –4.1

28.32 –5.1 –6.1

Latitude (degrees) Latitude 28.26 Susceptibility (log)

28.20 –18.90 –16.76 –16.62 –16.49 –16.35 Longitude (degrees)

Figure 18. Logarithm of susceptibility to maﬁc (coloured areas) and felsic (grey contours) eruptions. The four contour lines correspond to colour codes, with the dark grey line equivalent to the orange colour of the maﬁc eruptions and the lightest contour line equivalent to the dark blue.

28.50

28.44 –1.1

–2.1 28.38 –3.1

28.32 –4.1

–5.1 Latitude (degrees) Latitude 28.26 (log) Probability

28.20 –18.90 –16.76 –16.62 –16.49 –16.35 Longitude (degrees)

Figure 19. Probability (logarithm) of lava invasion from the maﬁc areas shown in the previous ﬁgure. 76

Figure 20. Spatial distribution of 28.90 ash deposits (at least 1 cm thick) following an eruption of the 28.63 eruptive centres (black circles). The observatories are represen- ted by white squares. The orange 28.37 and yellow areas in Tenerife represent the extent of the ash after VEI=2 and VEI=4 eruptions 28.10 respectively. The black contour line represents the distribution Latitude (degrees) Latitude of ash deposits at least 10 cm 27.83 deep. The orange and yellow areas on La Palma represent the 27.57 distribution of ash deposits at –18.2 –17.5 –16.8 –16.0 least 1 cm deep for VEI=2 and VEI=4 eruptions of the Cumbre Longitude (degrees) Vieja volcano.

Figure 21. Spatial distribution of 28.90 ground deformation in terms of inclination caused by vertical ri- 28.63 sing. Areas with deformation of at least 20 arc seconds or 2 arc minutes are shown in yellow 28.37 and orange or dark and light blue. The observatories are shown as white squares, with 28.10 the fault lines projected on the surface as white lines. Three Latitude (degrees) Latitude types of subsidence are projec- 27.83 ted for Tenerife: subsidence due to activity in the magma cham- 27.57 ber (A), dyke injection (B) and –18.2 –17.5 –16.8 –16.0 tectonic faults (C). For La Palma, subsidence caused by dyke in- Longitude (degrees) jection at Cumbre Vieja is projected. of changes in the ground caused by the pre - the magma chamber under Teide, although sence of a magma chamber under Teide, or this is only possible in very superﬁcial or dyke injection or fault reactivation has also high-pressure chambers. Once again the been assessed. (Fig. 21). It can be seen that frequency of such events is unclear. the only potential risk is from reactivation of 77

Table 6. Summary of risk factors at the Observatories examined

Teide Roque de Los Mucha- Comments Observatory chos Observatory

Seismic Risk PGA=0.06g PGA=0.05g PGA is the peak ground acceleration rate with 10% probability of it increasing in the next 50 years

Lava Flow Risk Negligible Negligible Probability of lava invasion in the next 50 years

-4.3 Ash risk (VEI=2) PA=10 Negligible Probability of at least 1 cm of ash. Fre- quency for Tenerife 10,000 years

RAsh risk (VEI=3) Very low There has never been a VEI=3 eruption in La Palma.

-2.2 Ash risk (VEI=4) PA=10 Probability of at least 10 cm of ash. Fre- quency for Tenerife 3,000 years

Risk of changes in the Very low Probability of inclinations of at least 20 earth (magma cham- arc seconds in the ground in the next 50 ber) years due to reactivation of the magma chamber

-4.3 Risk of changes in the PA=10 Negligible Probability of inclinations of at least 20 ground (dyke injection) arc seconds in the ground in the next 50 years due to dyke injection. Frequency 10,000 years

Risk of changes in the Negligible Probability of inclinations of at least 20 ground (tectonic fault) arc seconds in the ground in the next 50 years due to fault activity

5.4. strategic position within europe Japan. This makes a strategic location for the EST in Europe very important for most It is estimated that 90% of the number of of the personnel who will be involved in the astronomers and technicians likely to work project. The proximity of the Canary Islands on the EST in some way during the operating to continental Europe, with the excellent air phase, either as an employee or a visiting user, links that largely result from tourism in the will come from a European Union country. Islands and the fact that they are a European The remainder will be visiting researchers Union territory, being part of Spain, would from countries with particular strengths in make it easy for technical and research staff the ﬁeld of solar physics, like the USA or to travel to the EST. 78

The Canaries are part of Europe. A European country of origin. Countries whose nationals environment facilitates personnel move- do not require a visa include Australia, Ca- ment nada and the United States; countries that have an important relevance in astronomy. In 1992 the EU created a “single market” for Siting the EST in the Canaries will there- all of its members (allowing the free move- fore cause no difficulties for citizens cove- ment of people, goods, services and mo - red by the Agreement, whether they are ney). This means that people can travel and visiting the installations or contracted to do business across the whole of Europe on work on them during the construction or exactly the same footing as they do in their operating phases. In fact the Canaries, which own country. This market has reduced bu- are in EU territory, provide maximum legal reaucracy, simplified trade, cut prices and assurance for research and technical per- generally made Europeans better off. Ever- sonnel. yone benefits from increased competition The fact that the European Union consi- within the EU, for example through chea- ders the free circulation of persons very im- per flights, lower telecommunications costs portant cannot be overstated. It is the rea son and lower energy prices. In 2007 the Schen- that campaigns have been mounted to in- gen area was created, covering 29 coun- form EU citizens about the advantages and triesCB. This Agreement allows nationals and disadvantages of geographical and labour legal residents of any of the “Schengen area” mobility, labour market mobility, the expe- mem ber countries to travel freely between rience of working in another country, chan- them. This means that a citizen of any of ging jobs or careers, and the rights of immi - the coun tries mentioned can travel to Spain grant workers. These campaigns have also with a valid national identity document, al- given rise to an exchange of good practices though citizens of Ireland and the United on the part of authorities and public insti- Kingdom must carry a valid passport. Natio- tutions, official organisations and the priva - nals of non- Schengen countries must ob- te sector, and studies have been produced tain a transit visa or temporary resident’s on professional and geographical mobility permit if this is required for citizens of their inside the Union. In the field of health, a pan European stra - tegy for removing even more barriers to the 21 Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Repu- circulation of patients and professionals, blic, Cyprus, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Es- simplifying procedures and improving the tonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, quality of access to treatment across bor- Malta, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Ro- ders, is being drawn up. At the present time, a mania, Sweden, Switzerland European citizen can use the health system 79

of the country he or she is in thanks to the A free, safe and lawful area like this is the agreements that already exist between most desirable environment for housing Mem ber States. and operating a large and complex installa- In education, the European Higher Educa - tion like the EST. tion Area, which was set up with the 1999 From the safety perspective, a safe envi- Bologna Declaration, also relies on the har- ronment is as important as a safe work- monisation of university systems across place. the Member States, so that there are no ba- . Safe environment: The Canary Islands rriers to the movement of persons across offer a calm and peaceful environment the EU for this purpose. This is a particular and a relaxed atmosphere to promote benefit in terms of being able to employ the a sense of safety and well-being. best professionals without being caught up . Safety in the workplace: Spanish labour in the endless process of accrediting quali- law provides a secure working environ- fications. ment with an emphasis on worker pro - Similar considerations apply to the tax- tection. Any person contracted to work free import and export of materials for the within Spanish territory is protected construction, operation and maintenance by the law governing contract working of the EST. Building this telescope in the Ca- and is entitled to the benefits it con- naries will simplify the process of transpor- fers: social security, unemployment be- ting the different installation components nefit, severance pay relative to length to the site. of service, a maximum limit on working hours, right to take paid holiday etc. The Canaries are a secure and stable envi- In addition, employers must comply ronment with the relevant health and safety at work regulations for its business and The European Union has brought many be- provide a safe working environment nefits for its Member States (amongst them for all employees. Spain and with it the Canaries) which can be summarised as a stable and peaceful In conclusion, the Canary Islands, as EU Europe, the creation of the “single market” territory, offer a safe, stable environment for and the continuity of a united Europe. research and technical staff both socially As well as providing and protecting a sta- and economically. ble and peaceful environment, the EU has played an important role in safeguarding peace and security in the European regions and extending it to neighbouring countries. 80

Proximity of the Canary Islands to main- tions involved in its construction, operation land Europe and maintenance. Sharing the same working day has the The Canary Islands can be reached from any following benefits. European location within a day. For exam- . Any work-related consultations or que- ple, no European capital is more than 5 hours ries that arise between personnel loca- non-stop flying time from Tenerife. As di- ted at the EST and at other European rect flights are tourist flights and do not organisations can easily be resolved operate every day, it is sometimes neces- without the delays that occur across sary to take an indirect flight. Where this is different time zones. This will also im- the case, connections are normally available pact positively on the hours of availa- from Madrid, Barcelona, Tenerife or Gran bility of the installation. Canaria. The average length of an indirect . It will make it easier to organise remo - flight is around 6 hours. Flights between te meetings (video conferences, confe- Spain and the Canary Islands are subsidised rence calls, etc.). for island residents (there is a 50% discount). . It will improve the ergonomics of tra- People working with the EST would be- vel between the EST and other organi- nefit personally and professionally in the sations in continental Europe (there following ways. will be no jet-lag from travelling across . It is easy for personnel from abroad to time zones). relocate to the island. . It is easy for personnel from abroad who are working on the island to stay in In conclusion, if the EST is sited in the Ca - contact with their families and friends na ries there will be many logistical, eco- in their home countries. This normally nomic and social benefits. leads to higher levels of satisfaction As an EU territory, the Canaries are a amongst staff working abroad and thus safe, socially and economically stable en- helps to create a stable workforce. vironment. Residency and travel would . Work trips (for technical or scientific be simple to arrange for citizens of EU purposes) for EST personnel or visitors to member states and transporting mate- the EST from continental Europe would rials would be straightforward. be more straightforward and cheaper. The Canary Islands are closer to mainland Europe than other leading observa- Time difference between the Canaries and tories, making journeys shorter and chea - continental Europe per and staff travel easier, whether for business or pleasure. There is just one hour’s difference between The time difference between the Ca- local time in the Canaries and most of con- naries and most of the countries of continental Europe (Figure 22). Working hours tinental Euro pe is just one hour, making would therefore be practically the same at it easier for work groups at different lo- the EST and the various European organisa- cations to cooperate and communicate. 81

Figure 22. World Time Zones

5.5. basic and advanced infrastructure at ries requires special vehicles (off-road vehi- the orm and ot cles, etc.). The local authorities maintain the roads. The Canary Islands’ Observatories basically No special requirements are anticipated for have all the infrastructures needed to build the construction and operation of the EST, and operate the EST. This cannot be overs- meaning that only routine maintenance tated as it means that the project would be and upgrades will be needed for everyday logistically viable and avoid budget overs- vehicle traffic. However, the Regional Go- pends for new support infrastructure. vernment is working on a Land Transport All of the existing general purpose infras- Modernisation and Restructure Plan and tructures at the OT and ORM are maintained this could cover any specific work if needed by IAC central services, simplifying logistics to support the EST. for the scientific institutions working at the observatories. Telecommunications

Access In 2009 the IAC completed an upgrade of te - lecommunications between its observato- The roads leading to both the OT and the ries and ofﬁces. The improvements led to a ORM and the access roads within them are Gbps bandwidth increase. all paved, in good condition and properly At the end of 2007, the ORM and the CALP signposted. The Canary Islands’ Observato- were already connected to the IAC headquar - ries can be accessed with any type of vehicle ters at La Laguna on the island of Tenerife, whereas entry to other leading observato- by a 10Gbps circuit providing a high speed 82

digital communications network for scien- interrupted, which can happen two or three tific research activities. The same upgrade times a year for up to 24 hours, generators process has also recently been completed at the telescopes provide a back-up. As po - on Tenerife. wer cuts are infrequent the capacity of the back-up supply at the telescopes is minimal, just sufficient to turn off the installation co - In terms of connection to national and inter- rrectly, equipment cooling or heating and si - national networks, the Ministry of Science milar needs, but not enough for them to ope- and Innovation announced, at the end of rate continuously throughout the power cut. 2008, an investment of €130 million, finan- Several years ago a dual circuit Medium ced jointly with Structural Funds, for the fast Voltage Line was connected to the Hoya implementation of a new dark fibre network Gran de sub station (Garafia). connecting all of the country’s universities, The current capacity of the installation and public research centres using RedIRIS and therefore the potential demand of power es pecially (the result of a commitment to at the ORM is 3 MW. However, consumption Spain’s Autonomous Regions) all of Spain’s does not currently exceed 0.8 MW even with Singular Scientific and Technological Insta- the arrival of the GTC. llations including the OT and ORM. This new In preparation for the future, the Canary project, RedIRIS-Nova will be a huge impro- Islands Regional Government and the Is- vement to the existing communications in- land Council of La Palma are already plan- frastructure. ning to upgrade the electricity supply. The most likely option at present, supported by Electricity the electricity supplier, is to bring an overhead 66 kV line from Punta Llana through Red Eléctrica de España provides the elec - non-protected areas to the Pico de las Nie- trical transport network throughout Spain, ves and from there underground to the operating the electricity system that carries ORM. A medium voltage substation at the electricity from power stations to the con- observatory will assure the power supply. sumer. The company that supplies power to This new line will give the ORM the electri- the mountain sites of the Canary Islands’ cal infrastructure and power supply needed Observatories is Unelco-Endesa. for up to 10 MW capacity. At the ORM, the main supply comes from At the OT, the main supply comes from a a substation at an altitude of below 1000 substation near the Izaña Military Detach- metres. Aerial cables bring it close to the ment. The line originates in Güímar and is Observatory and it travels the final few ki- overhead until the limit of the Teide Natio- lometres underground. When the supply is nal Park, where it goes underground. The 83

Observatory has three sub-stations near to The OT has ten water tanks (total capa- the THEMIS telescope (ET1, Power 400KVA), city 150 mD) to meet the needs of its person- the TCS (ET2, Power 250KVA) and the Resi- nel and other users at its residence and dence (ET3, Power 100KVA). The power avai- telescopes. Annual consumption is curren - lable at the OT is 1 MW although current tly around 2,100 mD (Residence -1,500 mD, demand does not exceed 0.3 MW. Telescopes – 600 mD). The annual cost is When the power supply is interrupted €41,000 (€20 / mD). generators located at each of the substations For waste water and sewerage at the OT are used. The telescopes are equipped with the observatories have purification plants to battery backups (UPS) which provide suffi- treat the water before it is discharged onto cient energy to turn them off correctly them the land. As at the ORM, waste water is only and their cooling, heating and similar needs produced by personnel as no industrial or whilst the generators, which can run inde- other activities are undertaken at the site. pendently for up to two weeks, power up. Residence Water supply and sewerage The ORM has a residence with accommo- The ORM residence and telescopes have eight dation for up to 34 people in 23 single and water tanks to meet the needs of personnel 6 double rooms, and an annex with a fur- and other users. Annual consumption is cu- ther 30 rooms of which 21 are doubles. Ave- rrently around 4,000 mD. rage annual occupancy is over 9,500 stays. For waste water and sewerage the obser- As the GTC is currently operative, the re- vatories have a purification plant to treat sidence is to full capacity and it will need to the water before it is discharged onto the be extended if the observatory is chosen as land. Waste water is only produced by ORM the site for the EST. In light of this, work has personnel as no industrial or other activi- already been carried out to determine what ties are undertaken at the site. The amount would be needed to house personnel for of waste produced annually at the observa- another telescope the size of the GTC or larger. tory is about the same as a dozen families, The OT Residence has 14 double rooms and there is virtually a purification plant for for visiting scientific and technical staff. It each family. No other mountain site in the also has 6 rooms in annex buildings and world, astrophysics related or other, has so rooms for its own staff. Average annual occu - many purifiers for such a small amount of pancy is over 4,500 stays. water. This shows that the commitment of Both residences are open 24 hours a day, the Canary Islands’ Observatories to envi- seven days a week. The residences provide ronmental protection is beyond question. breakfast, lunch and dinner during the wor- 84

king hours of the institutions using the ob- workshops, stores, garages, ambulance, emer - servatories. gency fuel depot (ORM), four heliports (ORM) Both observatories also have general use and vehicles for users, etc. facilities including a fax, photocopier, com- The fire service manages fire risk at the puter room, meeting and video-conference observatory to ensure that it is minimal (in rooms, wireless network and entertainment line with advice and directives from the lo - facilities including television rooms and a cal authorities). IAC central services main- small library. tain a fire tender in case of fire and provide fire training for the user institutions. Support installations Additional controls are also being considered to ensure that the risk of injury from The ORM and OT both have support facili- the movement of people and vehicles at iso - ties and services such as refuse collection, lated locations is as low as possible. At the 85

OT a GPS vehicle monitoring and warning needed for its role as the administrative system is being used. This system is also base of the International Observatories. being looked at for the ORM. The headquarters building in La Laguna is the main workplace for most IAC staff, a 5.6. sea level facilities meeting point for the international astronomical community, a technological research Headquarters of the IAC at La Laguna. Tenerife and development institute and a trai ning centre for researchers, engineers and tech- The Astrophysics Institute in La Laguna is nicians. It is also a dynamic centre for public the IAC’s headquarters. It houses most of education. the IAC’s workshops, technical rooms and The city of San Cristóbal de La Laguna is laboratories as well as ofﬁces and other ob- 9 km from the provincial capital, Santa Cruz servation and post-observation resources de Tenerife, in the north of the island. 86

Centro de Astrofísica de La Palma (CALP). The availability of this sea level head- La Palma quarters building will be an asset for the construction and operation of the EST. If The telescopes at the ORM generally have the current capacity proves insufficient for offices at sea level from which most of the a large project like the EST there are also staff who do not need to ascend the moun- other sites available nearby. tain for work. This is the case for the Isaac Supercomputing: CALP is equipped with Newton Group of Telescopes, the Galileo Ga- a high capacity supercomputer. It is connec- lilei Foundation and CALP. ted to the Spanish Supercomputing Network At the CALP there are offices for the as- (RES) and will be connected in the future to tronomers and telescope management the large European Supercomputer Network staff of many of the institutions that use PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Compu- the ORM and also a library, meeting and ting in Europe), an ESFRI priority project. conference rooms and computer and tele- The current nodes in the network, apart communications equipment. There are also from CALP, are located at the BSC-CNS (the workshops, laboratories and store rooms main node; the Barcelona Supercomputing for maintaining and developing instru- Center - National Supercomputer Centre), ments. CeSViMa (Supercomputing and Visualisa- CALP is located at Breña Baja together tion Centre of Madrid) and at the Universi- with the headquarters of the Galileo Galilei ties of Cantabria, Málaga, Valencia, Zara goza Foundation, very close to Santa Cruz de La and Gran Canaria. Each of these supercom- Palma (4.2 km) and the airport (3.6 km). puters can exchange enormous quantities 87

of information, distribute tasks and optimi - se resources at high speed. The RES gives Spanish researchers access to massive com - putations, using unique, interconnected infrastructure, for the ﬁrst time. The RES is funded by the National Government and co-ordinated by the National Supercompu- ter Centre. The La Palma node currently comprises 512 processors giving a performance of 4.5 TFlops. Apart from its calculation capacity it is interconnected with RES which allows exceptional calculation needs to be taken up by the network as a whole. When its computing power is connected to the RES, ex- ceptionally complex computing tasks can be shared across the whole network, along with other resources like massive storage capacity. Once a new upgrade of the Ma- reNostrum computer has been completed the power of the La Palma computer is expected to double. The power of this computer is a giant step forward for the astrophysics community, as its high speed calculations make research projects much quicker. The installation of the supercomputer on La Palma was a strategic decision to provide support for The direct link between this supercompu- observations at the ORM, which was recen - ter, the other nodes of the RES and PRACE tly enhanced by the addition of the GTC, and will make massive processing of this infor- to telecommunications development on mation possible, together with compari- the island. sons between real and simulated data, and PRACE will provide Europe with a cutting this will deliver new results for science. edge computer, one of the ﬁve most powerful in the world which, through regular upgrades, will give scientists permanent access to the most up to date technology available. The EST will generate more data than conventional computers can deal with. The presence of an on-site supercomputer would be enormously useful for pre-processing this data as well as handling and distributing it. 6. financial feasibility of the est

Like any other priority large European research Three key factors need to be taken into infrastructure, the EST will need a conside- account for the project to be financially fea - rable amount of investment to guarantee sible. The first, which is already in place for its feasibility for its design, construction and the EST, is backing from the majority of Eu- operating phases and its ultimate disman- ropean scientific institutions for solar phy - tling. For work to begin on the EST project, sics, not just agreement that a new shared there could be two types of contribution: facility is needed, but for more specific ele- cash contributions (quotas from member ments of the project like the most suitable countries and institutional backers, subsi- conceptual design, cost estimates for the dies from other sources, loans, etc) and in- different phases and construction time. The kind contributions (site, resources of partner second factor is identification and conside- organisations, technological developments, ration of the sources and types of income infrastructure elements, etc). anticipated for the project. The intention is As it is a transnational infrastructure in to assure the flow of funds (national, Euro- which many different agencies are expected pean and third party contributions, user to take part (European Commission, Mem- fees, etc.), through a firm agreement bet- ber States and the private sector), with com - ween the funding agencies to be involved plex processes to carry out the project (such in the project. The present report is inten- as calls, tenders, negotiations, etc.) and an ded as a starting point for putting this se- equally sensitive framework of national and cond factor in place. EU policies, it is essential to agree and for- Finally, the ability of the “EST Organisa- malise the appropriate legal framework for tion” to keep spending within the limits im- this project before any kind of initial inves- posed by contributions or sources of inco me tment is made must be given careful attention and this The conceptual design study has been ca - very much depends on good practice in fi- rried out individually (from a legal point of nancial and economic management. In this view) by a number of public and private Eu- context, an organisation is financially feasi - ropean institutions, albeit in a coordinated ble if it produces sufficient valueCC to main- way as part of a joint project with funding tain the commitment of its direct investors from the European Commission. However, (funding agencies) in its continued exis- the establishment now of a legal, transna- tence. tional global entity, with legal capacity to The new era of research infrastructures re - act as a single body, appears to be the most quires a legal framework that fits its needs appropriate vehicle for the next steps to- and assures effective governance, resource wards the construction and operation of management and optimal operation for this large telescope. the infrastructure. The European Commis- 91

sion has implemented the “ERIC)”, a legal point of economic, social and territorial con - framework to satisfy these requirements. vergence and cohesion with the rest of Eu- All organisations working together to deve- rope: lop a transnational research facility can opt . they create new, attractive and compe- for this legal formulation (see section 7.2). titive international working environ- ments; 6.1. scientific infrastructures as a driver . they lead to the provision of new basic of socio-economic development: the role and advanced infrastructures (basic su - of astrophysics in the canaries pplies and telecommunications) which benefit the whole region; The European Commission as a whole and . they open up new technological, indus - the different Member States individually trial and economic markets and incre- stress that large research infrastructure ase growth and diversity in existing projects are important not only because of markets by creating demand for all the progress they bring in knowledge and types of service; technology but also because they are major . they provide a global view of cohesion boosters of social, industrial and economic with the rest of Europe, strengthening development in their immediate surroun- the excellent and unique characteristics dings, not only in geographical terms but of these regions thus reducing their also in technological, industrial and, ultima- distance and isolation from the rest of tely, social terms. the EU. Research infrastructures meet these aspi - rations for the ERA and cascade them onto The Canary Islands’ Observatories are a the other sectors and economic and social clear demonstration of ERA structuring and activities. These effects are amplified con- a point of territorial, economic and social siderably in the EU’s Outermost Regions. In convergence. these areas, large science and technology These observatories house the most ad- infrastructures established there act as a vanced telescopes and installations for astrophysics in any European Union Member State. More than 50 prestigious scientific 22 The value of the project may be assessed by the institutions from around 20 countries ope- funding agencies using indicators like efficient fi- rate their facilities here. The socio-econo- nancial management, scientific and technological mic impact that the Observatories have outputs, financial returns obtained, benefits for higher education, creation and continuation of had on this EU Outermost Region since the highly qualified employment and social perception day they opened to the international com- among others. munity in 1979 is a fact. 92

The use of these facilities by the interna- ciety in the Canary Islands is aware of the tional scientific community means that se- important asset it has within their territory veral thousand astronomers travel to them which brings them closer to Europe, not every year. Developing new installations and only as a privileged tourist destination but instruments, like the GTC, which has been also as a reference in astrophysics world- operating since 2009 and is the world’s most wide. advanced telescope, together with the IAC's Since they were opened to the interna- cutting edge research activities, require tional community over 30 years ago, the Ca- large scale movement of people and create nary Islands' Observatories have proved the jobs for highly skilled workers in the Islands. value of giving firm backing to scientific in- The basic and advanced infrastructure frastructure projects in the remoter parts of that this astrophysics complex needs to Europe for the economic and social growth operate and run properly has brought con- that they deliver. In fact the European Com- siderable improvement to these infrastruc- mission itself, in its publication “Developing tures which benefits society in the Canary World-class Research Infrastructures for the Islands as a whole: improved quality of ba - ERA. Report of the ERA Expert Group” (March sic supplies; advanced telecommunications 2008), underlines the important role of networks between the Islands and Europe, scientific infrastructures as a driving force allowing broadband connections; and ac- of regional development. cess to other large infrastructure resources, Cohesion with Europe’s Outermost Re- like the recent supercomputer. This progress gions is an expression of solidarity between with support infrastructures enables grea- the Member States and their regions and ter growth and competitiveness throughout promotes balanced growth, reduces struc- the area and creates the right condi tions tural differences and provides true equality for economic growth in other sectors. of opportunity for individuals. In 2007-2013 Astrophysics research in the Canaries has this economic and social cohesion will be fo - also opened up new markets for businesses cused more on the principal development across the country, like the notable growth issues of economic growth and employment. and increased value that Spanish industry Scientific infrastructures like the Canary Is- has accrued through working on the GTC, lands’ Observatories are a clear example of putting it in a strong position to access new what can be achieved and a source of deve- international high technology projects. lopment for the coming and subsequent Astrophysics research has also, from the periods. very beginning, been high profile and of interest to the media, the world of education and to society and culture in general. So- 93

Graphic 3. Estimated investment needed for the different phases of the EST project based on construction beginning in early 2015. Estimate in Euros at 2010 rates

40 38 36 34 32 30 28 26 24 22 20

M € uros 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026 2028 2030 2032 2034 2036 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023 2025 2027 2029 2031 2033 2035 2037

6.2. financial scenario: national con- cies) backing the project as yet, no funding tributions, support instruments and is available for phases after the Conceptual funding programmes Design phase, which means that the financial scenarios being considered for the EST Budget estimates for the EST project accor- must meet 100% of the investment needed. ding to the EAST in early 2011 are € 10 mi- The investment must especially take into llion for the preliminary design phase and account a number of specific different needs approximately € 135 million for construc- during the project’s lifetime: tion. This second figure includes the cost of . Construction: The funding agencies for the initial instruments (approx. 30% of the EST must provide, for the construction total cost) and a contingency allowance phase, funding at a level and in suffi- (20% of the base budget). Annual operating cient time for this phase to run without costs are estimated at € 9 million. The gra- interruption, with payments correctly phic below (Graphic 3) gives a breakdown scheduled to avoid the expense of of the estimated annual expenses for each bridging loans and also uncertainties phase. that could paralyse the project. These As there is no single international organi- payments could be made in cash, to a sation (with the support of funding agen- joint budget, or in-kind. The consortium 94

Figure 23. Countries with institutions and companies involved in the EST Conceptual Design study. Spain, Germa - ny, France, Italy, United King- dom, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Czech Republic, Po- land, Slovakia, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary and Croatia.

itself will need to decide on the appro- cial planning will be needed to make priate method for each of the cost he- sure that funding is available (contri- adings for the telescope. butions from funding agencies and . Upgrades, alterations and dismantling: other income) for ordinary expenditu - These elements must be planned from re on immediate and future activities. the beginning to ensure that financial as well as technical resources are in pla - In view of the nature of the EST project, ce in time. As well as providing for pro- whose considerable costs will need to be met per maintenance of the facilities, the with cash contributions, any in-kind contri- cost of withdrawing and updating the butions from partner organisations, for the equipment and instruments as they construction and/or operating phases of bec ome obsolete must also be consi- the telescope, must not represent a signifi- dered. Although these funds will not cant proportion of the total project budget. be needed until a later stage in the pro - ject, funding agencies should agree in 6.2.1. Financial scenario: starting position advance both the accounting measures and payment schedules. It is logical to expect that national funding . Operation: Successful operation of the agencies with institutions with an interest EST (as with any other large scientific in the project (Figure 23) will attempt to infrastructure) will depend on the finan - negotiate the best possible return for their cial stability of the project. Apart from investment in all regards: scientific, techno - expenses related to construction finan - logical, industrial, economic and social. 95

Funding source % contribution *Common funds (membership quotas ) of the partners 30%-40% A. EU funding 10%- 20% B. Additional contributions from member countries based on the highest returns for socio-economic beneﬁts, technological opportunities, economic weight of the country and number of scientists working in the ﬁeld. 40%- 50% C. New EST partners < 10% D. Other contributions: sponsors, user fees, etc. < 10%

They will look for medium- and long-term single transnational entity and promote benefits proportional to their contribution, the EST project. This contribution may be a not just in terms of scientific progress but fixed amount for all countries or a variable also in terms of the actual opportunity to amount based on an economic indicator li - get industrial contracts, in high value tech- ke GDP of the country concerned or the size nological sectors, and stable job creation. of each country’s solar physics community They will also hope to benefit from the po- (potential users of the facility), etc. Whiche- tential of the new technology in order to ver method is chosen, the initial contribution improve the competitive edge of their na- will be a set percentage (to be de termined) tional economy, and boost the skills base of of the investment needed to fund the cons- their scientists, engineers, technicians and truction and operating phases. The remai- students. To safeguard their interests, they ning funding will have to be obtained from will seek maximum influence in the project’s other sources. decision-making governance structure. A brief list of potential sources for addi- It is also expected that they will demand tional funding for the EST, which have fun- that the project and the funding assigned ded similar projects in the past, is given to it must be very efficiently managed, with below. An outline estimate for potential robust and transparent procedures to pro- contributions is also provided, based on li- tect it from budgetary delays and devia- terature from similar projects, to give an tions. The national funding agencies are idea of the level of commitment that each aware that the transfer of national funds of these funders could have. The values to projects governed by international con- shown are simply for reference and should sortia implies that their degree of control, absolutely not be taken as prescriptive. as wide as it may be, is always limited and As some of these contributions may not this means that they will be keen to ensure be consolidated in time for the start of the that the project is managed as efficiently EST construction phase, it may be appro- as possible. priate to consider a long-term preferential It may also be envisaged that a minimum rate loan from the European Investment contribution will be agreed for participa- Bank, which is willing to back this non-con- ting funding agencies, in order to act as a solidated investment, provided that a trans - 96

national ERIC personality has been created the Integrated Infrastructures Initiative (I3). for the project. FP7 also allows for joint financing of the “Preparatory Phase” prior to construction, A. EU funding but this is only available for infrastructures listed in the ESFRI Roadmap. The map cu- Siting the EST in the Canaries means that a rrently lists 44 large installations for all range of financial support mechanisms will branches of science and technology, and be available from the EU, which should be these projects are candidates to receive EU listed and explained to the funding agencies. support. Given that the EST is seen as an as- European funding is currently discharged trophysics (ASTRONET) priority within the through a variety of management structu- ERA-Net initiative, efforts must continue for resCD. The EC administers 22% centrally and its inclusion on the next ESFRI Roadmap delegates, via an agreement known as “shared update. management,” approximately 76% of fun- Access to EU FP7 funding is not dependent ding to the Member States. The remainder on the site chosen for the EST. However, all (2%) is distributed jointly with international of the other means of financial support lis- organisations or third party countries. ted below are dependent on the EST’s site, with an Outermost Region like the Canaries Centralised funds attracting the maximum amount. Regarding the next EU Research Frame- Regarding EU funding through centralised work Programme (FP8 2013-2020) it should funds the main funding vehicle for future be highlighted that it must continue to work large astrophysical observation infrastruc- towards the goals set out in the Europe 2020 tures and related companies and research Strategy and the creation of the European centres, is currently the Seventh Framework Research Area, goals which European states Programme for R&D 2007-2013 (FP7), with and regions have made their own. Specifi- over € 53,000 million. cally, a proposal has been made for a new It is also important to mention that the EST EU fund aimed exclusively at research in- project has already received funding from frastructures, which would fit with the Eu- this Framework Programme through the ropean philosophy proposed for the EST. “Research Infrastructures” part of the Capa- cities programme. The European Commis- sion has co-financed the conceptual design € of the project with an investment of 3.2 23 R&D Pluri-regional Operational Research Program - million. In the immediate future funds may me for and by Enterprises - Technology Fund (2007 also be available from this source through - 2013). Ministry of the Treasury (2007) for Spain. 97

Decentralised funds ecological innovation and in identifying new ways for business to access finance. The Canaries can access these funds through This total could increase considerably the Operational Programmes. Europe is pro - in the Pluri-Regional Research and Deve- viding the Canaries with over €100 million lopment Operational Programme for and for RTD activities through the ERDF Canary by Enterprises - Technology Fund (2007- Islands Operational Programme 2007-2013CE. 2013) (aimed at phasing-in regions) with Some of its main priorities are: a return for the Canaries of some € 50 1) Building the knowledge economy million during the period it covers, 2007- The Canary Islands Research, Develop- 2013. ment and Innovation Plan 2007-2010CF Funds management will be the res- sees regional investment in research and ponsibility of Spain’s Ministry of Industry, technology as a priority, including from Tourism and Trade, which manages al- the private sector, in order to continue to most half of the Operational Programme diversify economic activity and reduce Funds of around € 977 million, and of the reliance on tourism. Centre for Industrial Technology Deve- The programme supports research and lopment (CDTI), which looks after € 793 development at the Canary Islands’ uni- million destined to fund consortium pro- versities and technological centres and jects. The CDTI must devise new kinds of the resulting technology transfer to small projects and funding methods: the pro- and medium sized enterprises (SME), the jects that make up and support the In- dominant producers in the region (89% novative Business Groups. of firms have between one and five sala- It is important to highlight that the ried staff). In particular, the programme Operational Programme is designed to will create a centre for business service encourage research, development and innovation and sector groupings to en- innovation capacities within enterprises, courage joint working across companies. particularly small and medium enterpri- 2) Business development and innovation ses in the Spanish regions that are cove- This priority seeks to encourage entre- red by the convergence objective as they preneurship in the Canaries, providing are considered to be most in need of aid. opportunities for economic activity, adap -

ted to local conditions where necessary, 24 ERDF Canary Islands Operational Programme 2007 and help to target international markets. -2013. These initiatives are mainly aimed at 25 The new Canary Islands Research and Technological SMEs. Special efforts are being made in Development plan for the subsequent phase is already drafted. 98

Outermost Region Status red, include: calls aimed at enterprises for RTD projects; assistance with placing scien- The Canary Islands enjoy a special position tific and technical staff in the production within the EU legal framework as a result of sector; and technology bonds. their designation as one of the Outermost Although initiatives for supporting RTD Regions. The EU recognises that these regions in these are largely the preserve of FP7, the have different geographic and economic European Commission and the European realities from the other European regions: Coun cil are working on a new strategic de - remoteness, isolation, smaller surface area, ve lopment plan for 2014-2020, which aims economic dependence on a limited number to make them more competitive and more of products, etc. These realities are a barrier cohesive with the other European regions, to sustainable development, which the EU and guarantees them dedicated budget is trying to overcome through the various allocations. programmes and actions to foster economic This demonstrates the EC’s understan- and social convergence in these regions. ding of the cascade effect that research in- Nonetheless, EU policy on these regions frastructures have on other economic and has always seen them as “regions of oppor- social sectors and activities, which is even tunity” with great development potential. greater in the Outermost Regions where lar - Of the seven Outermost Regions in the ge scientific and technological infrastruc- EU, the Canaries are the most densely po- tures are a bridge for economic, social and pulated and economically active. Although territorial convergence and cohesion with investment in RTD in the Canaries is lower the rest of Europe. The EC made this explicit than the national average, increasing com- recently in its report “The outermost regions: petitiveness is seen as a mid to long-term an asset for Europe” (October 2008), high- priority, given weight by the potential that lighting the positive impact of the Canary the Canary Islands hold for RTD in areas like Islands’ Observatories and the IAC on deve- maritime research, renewable energy, bio- lopment and structuring in the Canaries. technology and astrophysics. The Canary Is- The European Commission will also adopt, lands Government’s current RTD policies in 2012, a Communication putting forward are firmly aimed at significantly increasing the European Union’s new strategy for the these activities, mainly in the private sector, Outermost Regions during 2014-2020. There and at diversifying the market, which cu- is therefore a clear opportunity for the Ca- rrently relies heavily on the service sector, naries Government to influence funding principally tourism. Examples of new public priorities for large research infrastructures. measures for developing RTD in the Cana- ries, where business participation is favou- 99

Synergies between the FP7 and the Outermost The economic investment needed for new Regions status generation solar telescopes has grown in proportion to their diameter and the tech- Whilst the EU RTD Framework Programme has nology employed, rising from an average been running since 1984, the FP7 has for the cost of €5-10 million for existing 1m class te- first time given priority to Outermost Regions lescopes (THEMIS, SST, etc), to an estimated like the Canaries, with a specific ini tiative as cost of some €150 million for future 4m class part of the Capacities programme aimed at solar telescopes. As this is more than any sin - tapping research potential in the se regions gle European country’s entire solar physics and helping them integrate into the European budget, new funding means and frameworks Research Area. A budget of €340 million has for international joint working are needed been allocated, focused lar gely on cross border if they are to become reality. The ability to cooperation between research personnel, access specific funding sources, like those contracting experienced researchers, acquiring available for the Outermost Regions, would and developing research equipment and act as a lever for this project and could also be organi sing and hosting conferences and pro - a deciding factor in getting it off the ground. motional activities aimed at raising the profile The financial support needed from partners of research centres in the Outermost Regions. in the EST project will be backed by a favoura - The FP7 also envisages complementary ble EU framework of economic and political measures like special finance initiatives for measures for regional development and by the construction phase of large infrastructu - the assistance provided under the Canary re projects under its Capacities programme. Islands’ Fiscal and Economic Regime for The construction phase of large infrastruc- technology innovation and development en - tures will therefore receive financial backing terprises, such as the Canaries Special Zone through, amongst other measures, compa- (ZEC) and tax incentives provided through tible national and EU funding instruments the Canary Islands Investment Reserve (RIC) (like the Structural Funds or the European for enterprises locating to the Canaries. Investment Bank). The programme also will take into account the scientific excellence B. Additional contributions from member potential of the outermost regions as sites countries based on highest socio-economic for these projects to make funding availa- returns, technological opportunities, econo - ble for priority projects with critical funding mic weight of the country and number of needs, (like direct subsidies, a European In- scientists working in the field vestment Bank loan, using the Shared Risk Funding Mechanism, etc.). The EST will bene - Alongside scientific returns, the funding fit from this if it is sited in the Canary Islands. agencies backing the EST will look for addi- 100

tional benefits for their countries (like access although a full record can be kept of each to a pioneering world-class solar physics fa- country’s contributions, assigning a natio- cility, the opportunity to take part in rese- nal character to contracts and other expen- arch projects and training opportunities for diture (goods, services or personnel) could young scientists, as well as excellent scienti- prove complex. Put simply, assigning a na- fic outputs). Successful contract bids from tionality to a commercial entity is not always enterprises within their country of origin straightforward. In the global eco nomy, ma - are an important measure in this respect. nufactured goods (not to mention raw ma- It may be appropriate to consider the terials or composites) come from many principle of “fair return” in this context, di fferent countries, and only a few of them which would see each country recovering are partners in the EST project. Further com - (through contracts and services) the inves- plexity comes from the fact that services may tment it makes in the project. However, this be needed from companies that do most of could prove counterproductive when it co - their business online. mes to awarding industrial and service contracts on a “price-quality”CG basis and be an Finally, the funding agencies must be obstacle for the efficient progression of the aware that, in certain cases, some con- different phases of the EST project. Having tract awards will need to be weighted said this, the “fair return” principle does also towards maximum quality, unique abi- have positive aspects that should be consi- lity or very competitive price rather than dered. The funding agencies could use it as applying the fair return principle. an opportunity to help stimulate domestic industry and increase its capacity if necessary. It is for the funding agencies themselves Role of Spain as the host country to decide whether this principle is appropriate and if so, how it should be applied Spain will provide the site for the telescope (rigor ously or flexibly, envisaging approxi- and for the headquarters of the EST Orga- mately proportional returns over a number nisation, in the event it also comes to the of years). Canaries. Although the EST Organisation If the “fair return” principle were used it and its staff will be subject to domestic law would be important to understand that, (for example in the areas of safety and labour laws), their rights and responsibilities within the “EST Organisation” will need to 26 Applying the “fair return” principle would allow countries with high manufacturing costs to avoid be clearly defined, especially if it is consti- competing under the “best bidder” (lowest offer) tuted as an international legal entity. The requirement and guarantee a minimum return. European Commission has created a new 101

transnational legal format especially desig- cifications must be very precise and there ned for large research infrastructures, called must be careful monitoring by the Project ERIC (see section 7.2 for more infor mation). If Office. this is the status agreed for this infrastructure, the “ERIC-EST” will be exempt from a In cash contributions range of domestic legislation (including tax and customs, etc.). In view of the nature of the EST (technical It is expected that Spain’s contribution requirements, nº. of institutions involved, new will be considered differently from that of technology needed and the large nº. of sys - other countries so that the provision of the tems to be integrated) it is considered essen - site and basic and advanced infrastructure tial for most of the budget to be received as is accounted for alongside the industrial in cash contributions to ensure that the and socio-economic returns expected to ac- construction phase can be centrally mana- crue to the country. A concrete estimate of ged for successful completion. The greater the percentage contributed by Spain must the proportion of in cash contributions from be produced in negotiation with the other the funding agencies, the more flexibility partners, and it is neither practicable nor the EST Organisation administrators will rea listic to suggest a figure in the current have to manage the project throughout its document. different phases. The great advantage of this “cash intensive” project model is that it In-kind versus in cash contributions will enable managers to exercise a greater degree of responsibility, rigour and transpa- For the EST to be feasible it is vital to have rency over the contract procurement and proper balance between in-kind and in cash other financial operations. It will also provi - contributions. de the funding agencies with a single central source of up to date project information. In-kind contributions In those cases where some funding agen - cies only wish to provide cash contributions Assigning a financial value to in-kind con- for the project, they are likely to want the tributions is a complex task and expert advi - ‘fair return’ (juste retour) principle to apply ce is often needed to properly quantify the for their participation. In this case, special value of the contribution, especially when attention will need to be paid to any loss of it is in the form of devices of high techno- competitiveness that this may imply de- logical content. pending on which project elements (deve- To avoid compatibility issues between lopment, supply and service contracts) they different in kind contributions, technical spe - wish to return. 102

Cash contributions must be managed by C. New EST partners the EST Organisation itself, overseen by an Executive Committee set up for the pur- Although the EST has attracted a good num - pose. The expenditure that this joint fund ber of partners, with institutions from 15 is expected to cover includes staff, goods, European countries involved, as a transna- services, low technology industrial contracts tional project its doors will remain open to (civil works, transport, etc.), ordinary opera- others from within the European Union or ting costs and the costs of new technical/ outside it. technological developments. The strategy for attracting new partners One of the most significant costs for the should not be undertaken until the EST Or- EST in the construction phase, which will ganisation has been agreed and constitu- have to be funded by cash contributions, is ted by the funding agencies. setting up a team of specialists to integrate Contributions from new partners will all of the project systems, especially if some also be either in kind or in cash, as allowed of these systems are acquired as in kind for in the membership rules agreed by the contributions. EST Organisation. It will be important to minimise the risk Among the countries around the world of setbacks from budget overspends and with institutions with scientific interests in delays by the EST Organisation in executing solar physics that are not currently involved the project, by drawing up a comprehensive in the EST project but may wish to be, are: risk management plan. This plan must be Belgium, Denmark and Greece (within the financially backed with a contingency bud- European Union). Internationally the list in- get received as a cash contribution. cludes China, South Korea, USA, India, Ja - As contributions from international part- pan, Russia, the Ukraine and others. ners cannot be ruled out (outside the EU and the Euro zone), consideration must be D. Other contributions: sponsors, user fees, etc. given (should they be involved) to the effect of exchange rate fluctuations from year to Alongside the standard funding mechanisms year on any cash contributions they make, for building and operating large research by perhaps setting a maximum acceptable infrastructures, consideration should be variation level (positive/negative) regardless given to the following sources, all of which of exchange rates or requiring contributions have been successfully accessed previously: in a single currency (Euro) with the partner bearing the variations. Philanthropic organisations

Some of the largest telescopes in the world, either existing or being designed, have recei- 103

ved support from philanthropic organisa- the European Investment Fund (EIF), is pro- tions. The main examples are in the United moting innovation through its Innovation States where, amongst others, the two 10m 2010 (“i2i”) Initiative. Whilst the EIB provides Keck telescopes in Hawaii, the new genera- funding in the form of loans, the EIF invests tion Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), Giant Ma- in innovative enterprises as part of its risk gellan Telescope (GMT) and the Las Cumbres capital portfolio. Observatory Global Telescope Network, cu- The EIB has set up a new funding mecha- rrently in the design and construction pha- nism for large infrastructure projects, “The ses, have all received financial backing from ESFRI RSFF Capital Facility (ERCF)”, for projects this source. supported by the host country, the ESFRI It is not a very usual practice in Europe and and the European Commission. This funding it is unlikely that there will be the right con- stream will become available to the EST if ditions in the short to medium term. Howe- efforts for its inclusion in the next version ver, this alternative source of funding should of the ESFRI “Roadmap” succeed. not be discarded and an information package should be created outlining the key as- User Fees pects of the EST project for philanthropic organisations in Europe and elsewhere in the During the EST’s operating phase another world. Such a funding strategy would seek funding source, user fees, will become avai- financial backing from these organisations lable. The EST could be made available to with no return from the project other than outside users in return for a contribution to - its scientific and technological outputs. wards operating costs proportionate with their use of the telescope. The European European Investment Bank (EIB) Commission, through the RTD Framework Programme, currently allows for operating The European Investment Bank (EIB) is an costs to be met in this way, on condition that autonomous EU institution set up to fund the infrastructure is available to the whole investment projects to promote balanced European scientific community. development across the European Union. The EIB acts as a “politically motivated bank” in pursuit of the European Union's political aims. As a major international lender with an impeccable credit rating (AAA), the Bank accesses huge amounts of funding on international financial markets at the best available rates. One of the EIB’s strategic priorities, particularly for its risk capital arm, 7. legal aspects of the est at the orm / ot

106

7.1. legal framework of the orm and ot routes to the ORM and OT and facilitate access territories for persons and materials. As a consequence, and separately from The grounds comprising the ORM and OT Spain's obligation to make ORM and OT fa- are the legal property of the IAC. However, cilities available to any interested Institu- the observatories were “internationalised” tion, the land on which the observatories by Spain in 1979, through the above mentio - stand remains Spanish property. ned Agreement for Cooperation in Astro - As none of the entities currently using physics, which was modiﬁed in 1983, and the ORM or OT have the character of an Inter - this has repercussions for the grounds in national Organisation, they enjoy no diplo- question. matic privileges (like diplomatic immu nity) Article 7 of the Agreement states that: and so the land they occupy is fully subject “The land necessary for the establishment to Spanish sovereignty. of the observatories and the laboratories at Incorporating the EST at the ORM or OT will La Laguna shall be made available by the bring about a signiﬁcant juridical chan ge, Spanish side to the IAC, while the Spanish resulting from the fact that the EST Orga ni - entities and bodies which have transferred sation will be involved, and it is recommen- it for the purposes laid down in this Agree- dable that it adopts the juridical format ment shall retain full ownership of it”. In recently approved by the European Com- other words, the land is made available for mission, called ERIC (and discussed in more the use laid down in the Agreement but detail in the next section) which may have ownership is not transferred and remains repercussions not in terms of land owners- with the Spanish entities that made it avai- hip but on sovereignty over it. lable. However, “the use of the land neces- Indeed, if the EST is managed by an EST sary for the telescope installations of the Organisation constituted as an ERIC it will User Institutions shall be guaranteed free of be necessary to make land available for the charge for the User Institutions on the con- Organisation to install the infrastructure. ditions which are laid down in this Agree- This could happen with or without transfer ment and during the period which it is in of ownership of the land (through sale or an force” (clause 7.4). administrative concession). Whatever arran - Elsewhere the Agreement sets out (arts. gements are made, if Spain signs a Head- 8 and after) the conditions relating to the quarters Agreement with the EST Organi - ownership of instruments supplied by each sation, its buildings and annexes will attain of the User Institutions (which is separate immunity and Spain will ‘de facto’ renounce from the land ownership issue) and Spain’s its sovereignty over the EST site as long as obligation to adequately maintain access the facility is in operation. 107

On the other hand, if it is decided to create nishCH and CanariesCI law, to operate the Ita- an entity constituted in accordance with lian Galileo telescope at the ORM. Spanish and autonomic legislation (for Foundations have organisational and fiscal example, a Foundation), the privileges and advantages that have worked well for the immunity accorded to International Orga- development of non-governmental organ i - nisations will not apply. In this case Spain sations. They must be imbued with the would retain sovereignty over the land. finan cial resources to meet its aims as a foun dation. Most significant among the available fiscal benefits is exemption from In conclusion, according to that stated abo - corporation tax on income from partners ve, it can be established that the juridical and benefactors, dividends and profit sha- character of the EST management entity ring, interest, levies and rent and from ac- that is finally decided upon could have an quisitions or transfer of goods or rights. influence on sovereignty over the site. Non-pro fit entities also have local tax advantages, being exempt from Property and Urban Land Value Capital Gains taxes.

7.2. legal vehicles for construction and operation of the est: eric ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Con- sortium) As stated above, the European Commission has taken the steps needed for member Scientific progress and the rising cost of in- countries to set up new international orga- vesting in new technologies have intensi- nisations specifically for the construction fied cooperation between EU Member Sta tes and operation of new large scientific infras- on the creation of large research infrastruc- tructures, which are more dynamic and better tures. However, in view of the complexity fa- suited to the current community situation. cing this new generation of large transna- In the past, some countries have opted to tional infrastructures (regulations governing set up specific juridical entities to build and their creation, funding and operation remain run their telescopes, which are subject to Domestic Law and eligible for benefits available in the country or region where the fa- 27 NATIONAL LEGISLATION: LAW 50/2002, of the 26th December, on Foundations. (BOE 27/12/2002) (Er- cility is built. This is true, for example, for rata for BOE 17-04-2003 Modified by Law 47/2003, the “Galileo Galilei – INAF Foundation, Fun- of 26th November (B.O.E. 27/11/2003). dación Canaria”, a non-profit Spanish entity 28 CANARIAN LEGISLATION Law 2.1998 of 6th April, on set up by the INAF within the ambit of Spa- Foundations in the Canaries (B.O.C 47, 17/04/1998). 108

fragmented and regional) a specific juridical To acquire legal personality an ERIC must framework is needed to mitigate the lack of have its headquarters in one of its affiliate suitable regulations. In response to demands countries (Member state or country invol- from the Member States and the scientific ved in a research framework programme un - community, the Commission has developed der the auspices of the EU). and adopted a new mechanism, called ERICCJ At least three Member States must be on to make it easier for member States to work the ERIC’s affiliate list. Members from third together to create and run large research fa- party countries and intergovernmental or- cilities of pan European interest. ganisations can affiliate to these. An ERIC is a non-profit entity thus avoiding An ERIC’s legal format is considered the distorted competition (although clearly, gi - same as an international organisation or ven the nature of the EST, commercial acti- body for the purposes of Directives on value vities are not possible). However, an ERIC added tax, special taxes and public contract can undertake limited economic activities as procurement. It is exempt from VAT and long as these do not obstruct the research special taxes, and its public contract procu- facility’s main mission. rement procedures are outside the ambit If the EST Organisation is to be constituted of the Directive on public contract procure- as an ERIC it must meet the following con- ment. ditions: As the host nation, Spain would have to . contribute to the pursuit of European issue a declaration recognising the propo- research activities; sed ERIC as an international entity for the . provide added value in the fields of Eu- purposes of VAT and IGIC (Canaries General ropean and international science and Indirect Tax) and special taxes. technology; The affiliates' liability for an ERIC’s debts . be open to researchers from the Member would be limited to the level of their con- States and the countries associated with tributions. the EU RTD Framework Programme; The Law applicable is firstly EU Law and . encourage mobility of researchers and then the Law of the State housing the re- knowledge exchange in the ERA; gistered office or the State in which techni- . share and make the best use of results cal and safety activities are carried out. from scientific research; Five years after the adoption of this juridical framework the Commission, with the help of experts, will evaluate it and present a report to the European Parliament and 29 The European Research Infrastructure Consortium Council. (ERIC) (Annex A11). 109

7.3. fiscal regime in the canaries for the est c) The relevant procedures and formalities in Spanish law will be complied with This section sets out the fiscal regime (na- and applied as quickly as possible to put tional taxes, customs charges, etc.) that these measures in place. would apply to the entity managing the EST project if it were located at the ORM or The specific fiscal rules pertaining to each OT. This differs significantly depending on entity in addition to those already mentio- whether the entity is an International Or- ned are as follows: ganisation or is constituted under Spanish law, the two most likely models. A. Fiscal regime in the Canaries for the EST Article 12 of the Agreements for Coopera- if managed by an ERIC tion on Astrophysics provides for tax breaks for entities established at the ORM/OT in- If the EST is managed by an ERIC, this orga- cluding: nization would attract the regime applica- a) Spain authorises the import and export ble to International Organisations (IO) in with exemption from customs and other Spain in line with international practice in duties of any apparatus, materials and this regard and as provided for under Spa- goods, including accessories, parts and nish law. tools, whatever their country of origin, The relevant legislation governing fiscal considered necessary for the construc- privileges arrangements for an ERIC-EST if tion or operation of the Observatories constituted as an IO in the Canaries, is con- and the telescopes installed at them. tained in Royal Decree 3485/2000 of 29th These items of equipment, materials and December, on allowances and exemptions of goods would also be exempt from any diplomatic, consular and IO (developed with taxes whilst in Spain. the Order of the 24th May 2001 which esta- b) The Agreement also allows temporary blishes the limits of allowances and exemp- import and export of the furniture and tions of diplomatic, consular and IO), which personal effects (including a family car) set out the tax breaks provided for such en- of non-Spanish scientists and their fami - tities under national law. lies moving to or from Spanish territory for work covered under the Agreement, Exemptions under RD 3485/2000 with exemption from customs and other applicable taxes and duties on tempo- Before listing these exemptions it is worth rary import and export and with no re- drawing attention to the fact that RD 3485/ quirement for a deposit or guarantee. 2000 allows for them to be refined, restric- 110

ted or expanded as established by any international Agreements, which remain ternational Agreements or Pacts in force in force. (in cluding the Headquarters Agreements . Furniture and effects for use by the ad- signed by Spain and the IO establishing its ministrative and technical personnel headquarters in the country). This means of the international organisations with that the following list is not immutable headquarters or offices in Spain, as well and will not necessarily apply in its entirety as their household family members but can be adapted on a case-by-case basis. provided that they are neither of Spa- nish nationality nor reside permanen - a) Import Duty Exemptions tly in Spain, are imported as a result of their relocation to Spain in order to ta - As provided for in Article 2 the import of the ke up work. Goods must be imported following goods will be exempt from all within one year from the date on which classes of duties and taxes (VAT, customs the worker takes up his or her position. duties and, in the Canaries, the Common Customs Tariff –CCT–, a type of duty appli- Exemption from duties and taxes does cable to products from both third party not extend to storage, transport or similar countries and countries within the EU): costs. These provisions do not apply to ob- . Goods needed for the official use of jects and articles prohibited for import into the international organisations recog- Spain. nised by Spain, with limits and conditions as imposed by the international b) VAT exemptions for delivery of goods, Conventions governing such organisa- services rendered and intracommunity tions or by the headquarters Agree- acquisitions ments signed by them. . Goods for communal use by members These are covered under Article 3 but, as VAT with Diplomatic Status of internatio- is not charged in the Autonomous Commu- nal organisations with headquarters nity of the Canaries due to its special tax re- or offices in Spain; these benefits also gime it is not discussed here, although the extend to family members forming part provisions are identical to exemption from of their household and include goods Canaries General Indirect Tax (IGIC) which imported to assist with their resettle- is dealt with separately. ment. These measures do not take pre- cedence over any other limits or conditions established by the relevant in- 111

c) Exemption from Canaries General Indirect For the purposes of any international Tax for delivery of goods and services Agreement or Treaty, which only recognise rendered exemption from duties on transactions de- emed significant, this will be defined as any Article 4 of RD 3485/2000 provides that in transaction with a tax base greater than or their respective territorial areas, arrange- equal to (€300.50). ments for IGIC will be the same as those for It is important in this context to be awa - VAT in Article 3. re that Law 19/94 on Modification of the The following are therefore exempt from Economic and Fiscal Regime in the Canaries IGIC: contemplates exemption from IGIC for the . Delivery of goods listed as exempt from delivery of investment goods, under certain duty in section a). conditions, it being understood that this . Handing over or rental of buildings or benefit derives from the Canaries fiscal re- parts of buildings and any land pertai- gime and is not a diplomatic privilege. ning to them, purchased or rented by the IO for use as headquarters offices. d) Internal exemptions from Special Pro- duction Taxes The exemption extends to any works required, regardless of any need to procure Manufacturing products whose import was materials, which are directly arranged bet- exempt from Special Production Taxes as ween the IO and the contractor, to build, stated in section a) will be exempt from modify, expand or refurbish the said buildings, these taxes. and for repair or conservation works with a In the Canaries these taxes are: value, for each single task, over €751.26. . Taxes on the import and delivery of . Delivery of office materials for official use merchandise in the Canaries: levied on when the total amount of goods listed the production and import of movables. in each invoice exceeds (€300.50). . Special duties on alcohol and beer. . Water, gas, electricity and fuel supplies, . Special Canaries tax on oil-based fuels. telephone and telegraph services at the IO’s premises. e) Exemptions from Property Transfer Tax (ITP) and Stamp Duty (AJD)

These exemptions do not take prece- As provided for in Article 1 of RD 3485/2000, dence over any other limits or conditions to exemptions from Property Transfer Tax and which the IO is subject through the head- Stamp Duty with regard to onerous pro- quarters agreement, which remain in force. perty transfers for international organisa- 112

tions, will be applied in accordance with the personal use and that of their spouse terms of section B.1 of Article 45 of the Re- and children, provided that they are li- vised Text of the Law on Property Transfer ving with and are financially dependent Tax and Stamp Duty- ITP/AJD (Royal Legis- on the same, are not engaged in any lative Decree 1/1993, of 24th September). economically productive activity in Spain This precept indicates that "transfers and and are duly accredited and documen- other acts and contracts on which exemp- ted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tion is conferred by International Agree- except where the headquarters Agree- ments or Treaties which have become part ment determines that other conditions of internal rules" are exempt from this tax. shall apply. On this point, it is important to take into . Cars imported or acquired, in quantities account that Law 19/94 on Modification of determined by the Ministry of Finance, the Economic and Fiscal Regime in the Cana- by technical or administrative staff wor - ries allows for exemptions from Property king for the international organisations Transfer Tax and Stamp Duty (ITP/AJD) on with headquarters or offices in Spain, the constitution or expansion of companies provided that they are neither of Spa- and (regarding this point) on goods or rights nish nationality nor permanently resi- acquired in the Canaries which means that dent in Spain and are duly accepted and this benefit derives from the Canaries fiscal documented by the Ministry of Foreign regime and is not a diplomatic privilege. Affairs in the corresponding categories. However, when the international Con- f) Cars ventions governing international organisations or their headquarters Agree - Article 12 of RD 3485/2000 provides for ments set out other limits or require- exemption from all duties and taxes on the ments, these will apply to the technical import, delivery or acquisition of the follo- or administrative staff at international wing vehicles within the EU: organisations. . Cars imported or acquired by international organisations with headquarters The definitive registration in Spain of ve- or offices in Spain, within the limits and hicles listed in previous paragraphs will be conditions defined by the relevant in- exempt from Special Transport Tax, provided ternational Conventions. that the conditions described above are com - . Cars imported or purchased by staff plied with. Acquisition is defined as any act with diplomatic status working for the or legal transaction allowing the registration international organisations with head- of the said cars in the name of the persons quarters or offices in Spain, for their or entities previously mentioned. 113

Persons or entities benefiting from the a) Canaries General Indirect Tax (IGIC) exemptions described in this article cannot be holders of cars imported under tempo- IGIC has been levied since the 1st January rary import regulations. 1993 and is an indirect tax on the delivery of goods and provision of services by com- g) Local taxes panies and professionals as well as on the import of goods, within the territories of The Headquarters Agreement ultimately the Canary Islands. signed may render the IO exempt from lo - This tax is applied in lieu of VAT and the cal direct and indirect taxes. most significant differences are: 1. Lower rates: B. Fiscal regime for the EST in the Canaries if . 0%: water, medicine, books, teaching managed by an entity under Spanish law materials etc. . 2% reduced: fuel extraction, petro- However, if it is decided to create a specific leum, oils, textile manufacture, foot- entity under the ambit of Spanish legisla- wear etc. tion, whether national or Canaries, for ma- . General: 5% naging the EST (such as a foundation or a . Increased: 9% and 13% company), the fiscal regime applicable will . Special 20% rate (brown tobacco) and not be as described above for International 35% (blond tobacco). Organisations as this new entity will have 2. Transactions subject to the tax whose its own legal personality in Spanish law and trading volume is lower than the limit will therefore have none of the diplomatic indicated are exempt. privileges of an OI. 3. The regime for transactions within the EU is not applicable. Fiscal Regime in the Canaries 4. For the purposes of IGIC imports are defined as the entry of goods into the Ca- It follows that the regime applicable would nary Islands from mainland Spain, the be the same as for all entities constituted Balearic Islands, Ceuta, Melilla, any other in the Canaries under Spanish law, as deter- EU Member State or Third Party Coun- mined by Law 19/94 on Modification of the tries, regardless of their intended use or Economic and Fiscal Regime in the Canaries, the status of the importer. Import is which can broadly be summarised as fo- also defined as permission to consume llows: goods in the Canaries that are subject to temporary import regulations, in transit, active improvement in the sus- 114

pension system or storage or in duty- Fiscal regime for Foundations free zones and depots. If an entity were created within the ambit b) Common Customs Tariff (CCT) of Spanish law the most likely legal format would be a Foundation. The fiscal regime This duty is applied to products from third that would be applicable in this eventuality party countries as well as to products from is therefore briefly examined below. This is EU countries. effectively the type of entity already being used to manage some of the installations c) Other Indirect Taxes at the ORM because of the large number of tax benefits pertaining to it. These derive . Duty on import and delivery of mer- both from national and Canaries legislation chandise in the Canaries: levied on the and even local regulations. production and import of movables. The main body of the fiscal regime appli- . Special Canaries tax on oil-based fuels. cable to Foundations is found in Law 49/ 2002, of 23rd of December, on the tax regime d) Main tax incentives provided by Law 19/94 for non-profit organisations and financial incentives for sponsorship. . Exemption from Property Transfer Tax Foundations are therefore subject to Cor- and Stamp Duty (ITP/AJD) for the cons- poration Tax –but not to Property Tax– for titution or expansion of companies profits from non-exempt economic activi- and the acquisition of goods or rights ties (i.e. not included in the closed list in Ar- in the Canaries. ticle 7 of Law 49/2002) but at a rate of 10% . 50% bonus on Corporation Tax and as opposed to the 35% paid by companies, Personal Income Tax on profits from although the tax base is not the same. export to third party countries or the Article 6 of the Law declares that the follo - export of tangible goods to the rest of wing incomes generated by non-profit en- the EU. terprises are exempt from Corporation Tax: . Exemption from IGIC for the delivery 1. From the following types of income: of investment assets under certain a) Donations and gifts received in sup- conditions. port of the aims of the entity, including . Up to 90% reduction of the tax base contributions or donations conceived for Corporation Tax of undistributed as asset allocations and economic profit destined for investment reserve. aids received by virtue of agreements for commercial collaboration provided for in Article 25 and contracts for 115

sponsored advertising as defined by Except in certain cases there is no special the General Advertising Law. arrangement for IGIC. b) The quotas met by the associates, Donors do have tax relief on donations to collaborators or benefactors, provi- Foundations that comply with the require- ded that they do not correspond to ments. Without listing every possible even- the right to receive benefits deriving tuality, and in very general terms, it can be from non-exempt economic activities. said that individual donors benefit of a 25% c) The subsidies except those destined relief of the donation from Personal Income to finance non-exempt economic ac- Tax. Companies can also include 35% of the tivities. donation in their Corporate Tax quota. The re 2. Proceeds from the entity’s immovable are also tax incentives available for collabo- and movable property, including divi- ration agreements with Foundations as the dends and company profit shares, inte- amounts contributed are treated as a deduc - rest, fees and rents. tible expense for the collaborating entity. 3. Proceeds from acquisitions or transfers, Law 2/1998, of the 6th April, on Canaries by any title, of goods or rights, including Foundations, in its Additional Second Regu- those obtained as a result of the disso- lation, provides that “without prejudice to the lution or liquidation of the entity. exemptions and other fiscal benefits provi- 4. Proceeds from exempt economic acti- ded for in national legislation, Foundations vities referred to in Article 7 (including subject to the current Law may access aid section 3 which cites scientific research through tax arrangements and favourable and technological development). access to public subsidies specifically esta- 5. Those, in line with the tax regulations, blished for the purpose by the Canaries Au- to be attributed or imputed to non-profit tonomous Community”. entities and derived from exempt incomes This means that Canaries Foundations can included in some of the sections above. receive all of the benefits established in national legislation and also other benefits They may also be exempt from local taxes, allowed for by the Government of the Cana - like Property Tax, Business Tax and Land Va - ry Islands. lue Capital Gains Tax. A Foundation shall also be exempt, if exemption is requested and granted, from Property Transfer Tax and Stamp Duty. At any rate, it is not liable for Transfer and Gift Tax and Property Tax. 8. economy and industry in the canaries

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This section provides a brief analysis of the is still the main engine of the Canary Islands’ current economic situation in the Canaries economy. The primary sector has been gra- and the make-up of its business sector, dually reduced over the last decades. with the aim of enumerating the services Taking each sector in turn, the service that would be available to the EST during sector employs more than three quarters of its construction and operation. the total workforce, in line with its contribution to overall production in the Canary 8.1. current economic situation in the Islands (Graphic 5). canariesDA The most recent data available for RTD show that there are 622 companies opera- The level of economic development expe- ting in this sector in the Canaries (0.4% of rienced by the Canaries in recent decades the total) compared to 17,905 nationally has been spectacular; rates commonly seen (0.5% of the total). in developing countries have been replaced This sector has also grown in recent years by rates frequently seen in the most develo - although at a slower rate than the national ped countries. However as a consequence average (spend on RTD in the Canary Islands of the combined effects of the internatio- was at 0.48% of GDP in 1995 and had grown nal financial crisis since the beginning of to 0.58% by 2009 compared to an average 2008 growth in the world in general, and of 1.38% nationally). A noteworthy feature particularly in the Canaries, has depleted of RTD in the Canaries is the fact that only considerably. It is now vital for a new eco- 19% of investment in RTD comes from the nomic and financial framework to be esta- private sector, whereas in Spain as a whole blished to reinstate sustainable, balanced this figure is 55% and the target for the EU growth. Experts agree that plans must be envisaged by the 2020 strategy is 66%. made for improving production and incre- The Islands have unique features that asing employment in the Canary Islands encourage innovation. These include: and diversifying their economy. . the geographically strategic position of The predominant economic sector in the the Canaries as an Atlantic region with Canary Islands, which grew extraordinarily potential for internal development; until the crisis struck, is the services sector . the landscape and climate of the Ca- (Graphic 4) and specifically tourism, which nary Islands, which have made them a perfect tourist destination; . their unique financial and fiscal arran- 30 This section is based on the Report of the Econo - mic and Social Council of the Canaries on the eco- gements, which make them very attrac - nomic, social labour and situation of the Canary tive financially; Islands in 2009. June 2010. . the presence of universities; 119

Graphic 4. The Canary Islands’ economy Graphic 5. Structure of employment by sector. 2009 in the Canary Islands in 2010. ISTAC

agriculture agriculture services 1,10% 3,50%

83,2% construction construction 9,76% 10,0% energy 2,11% industry 3,83% 5,60% industry

services 79,80%

. and the signiﬁcant concentration of 8.2. industries in the canaries for the est science and technology centres in the Canary Islands, with a range of different To review the industrial sector present in specialisms (astrophysics, electronics, the Canaries for a project like the EST, data information technology, renewable from ORM institutions is given below (this ener gy, water, geology, biology, agricul- information is not available for the OT). As tural sciences, medicine and aerospace there is much similarity between the servi- technology). ces and materials used by the existing facilities and those which will be needed to build and operate the EST, these statistics If the EST is sited on either La Palma or provide information on the industrial capa- Tenerife it will also generate incentives for city available for the new installation. a new wave of industrial growth, not just Table 7 gives a breakdown of budget es- on the island but in the region and the timates for the ORM for 2010. 62% of the whole country, favoured by the proﬁts to be costs are for companies in La Palma, 8% for made from its construction, the demand companies elsewhere in the Canaries, 13% for parts, electrical and mechanical supplies for professionals and/or companies else- and the maintenance and operation activi- where in Spain and 17% for international ties needed for a project of this kind. enterprises. 120

Table 7. Cost of the User Institutions by sector and location of subcontractor

Sector Location of Subcontractor ORM La Palma Rest of the Rest of the International Canaries Spain Scientiﬁc Research & Technology Development 4.600.00 € 73% 9% 9% 9% Chemical Industry 175.00 € 90% 9% 0% 1% Metallurgy Industry 2.700.00 € 25% 10% 25% 40% Shop, restaurants, accommodation and repairs 1.000.00 € 100% 0% 0% 0% Transport and communications 500.00 € 32% 10% 30% 28% Building rentals 425.00 € 100% 0% 0% 0% Other services 50.00 € 100% 0% 0% 0% Energy 200.00 € 100% 0% 0% 0% Total 9.700.00 € 62% 8% 13% 17%

These figures show that the most impor- gen supplies, helium, industrial oil, liquid tant business sectors for ORM activities coolants and diesel. 90% of these resources (and thus the EST) include RTD, the chemi- are procured from local companies, with cal industry, metallurgy and precision me- 9% procured from elsewhere in the Cana- chanics, shops and hotels, transport and ries (helium comes from Tenerife). communications and real estate and other The volume of nitrogen procured is parti - services. cularly significant and this is currently pro- These sectors include the services shown duced by ING. ING has a nitrogen produc tion in the next page. plant with its own supply. It produces 2,000 litres of nitrogen per week. Given the increase in demand that will result from the EST, Research and Development it would be financially feasible for a specialised company to open a branch on La Pal - There are about 25 RTD companies in La Pal - ma or to set up a service via a local enter prise ma. However, given the experience availa- with the ability to work with the required ble within other institutions there is not technology. expected to be a strong local demand for this sector as RTD requirements can be met by the telescope staff. Metallurgy industry, Optics and Electronics

Services used by the ORM from this sec- Chemical Industry tor include optical design, optical instrument maintenance, optical treatments, hardware, There are 50 chemical companies in La Pal - software, electrical installation, electrical ma. Spending in this sector includes nitro- materials, electronic materials, precision me - 121

chanics, dimensional metrology calibration, Chemical Industry mechanical design, hydraulics, climate con- . Liquid Nitrogen . Industrial oil . Diesel . trol, goods elevators and locksmiths. Helium . Deionised water . Alcohols . Liquid Before the arrival of the GTC most sub- coolants . Other gases contracts were issued to national and international bodies (88%) but the fact that 57% of the same expenditure for the GTC was Transport and Communications awarded to companies in La Palma demons - trates that the island's industry is able to . Landline telephone . Internet . Mobile tele- supply a proportion of the services needed, phone . Parcels service . Post . Staff see and particularly parts manufacturing, electrical air travel . Vehicle hire . Vehicle purchase materials and installation, electrical generators, climate control and maintenance and Metallurgy Industry optical treatments. Hardware continues to be sourced from . Optical design . Optical instruments . Op- national and international enterprises, al- tical treatments . Optical instrument main- though it is possible to procure components tenance . Hardware and software . Electrical on La Palma. installation . Electrical materials . Electrical Estimates put the spend on La Palma for instrument calibration . Electronic materials . Electronic equipment . Electronics mainte- this sector at 25%. nance . Precision mechanics . Dimensional metrology calibration . Mechanical design . Hydraulics . Climate control . Goods lifts Shops and hotels

For the ORM this sector covers spending on Shops, restaurants, accommodation and hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, small bu- repairs sinesses and vehicle maintenance. 100% of . Hotels . Restaurants . Supermarkets . this budget is spent on La Palma and this is Small business . Vehicle maintenance expected to remain the same after the arrival of the EST. These are services that need to be provided in situ and the island's en- Other Services terprises are perfectly capable of providing them. . Fire prevention system . Safety equipment . Water supply and transport . Congresses . Training courses . Events . Other Transport and Communications

Building rental There are 300 enterprises in La Palma providing transport and communications ser- . Headquarters rental . Various rentals (ga- vices. The ORM uses this sector for landline rages, staff apartments etc.) telephones, internet, mobile telephone, par- 122

cel delivery, post, staff travel by air and sea Energy and vehicle hire and purchase. The highest of these costs for the insti- Electricity in La Palma is generated at the tutions at the ORM is staff travel. Current Los Guinchos power station in Santa Cruz estimates put the proportion of transport de La Palma, and the hydroelectric plants at and communications services sourced from Salto del Mulato, Argual and San Andrés y local enterprise at 32%. Sauces, all of which are currently owned by The existing infrastructure on the island UNELCO-ENDESA. The capacity of the ORM (such as vehicle hire companies, sea and air supply is currently 3 MW and new projects transport facilities, communications net- are expected to increase power. works, etc.) is believed to be adequate to 100% of these services are sourced on La meet demand from the EST. Palma and this is not expected to change after the arrival of the EST. In conclusion, expenditure by ORM user Building rental institutions demonstrates that local enterprises in the Canary Islands have the capa- There are some 200 companies on the island city to deliver some 70% of the services, of La Palma providing property services, ma - materials and supplies needed for building king this one of the largest business sectors. and operating the EST. Main shortages are Spending in this sector by the ORM inclu- found in goods and services provided by des institutions’ head ofﬁces at Santa Cruz specialist sectors including computer hard- de la Palma (head ofﬁce rental) and, in so - ware, electronics, optical and other compo- me cases, rental of staff accommodation, nents, new technology development and garages and stores, etc. large industrial contracts.

Other Services The economy of the Canary Islands is dependent on the services sector and it needs inves- For the ORM, this sector includes lift mainte - tment and backing from projects like the EST nance, ﬁre prevention, security equipments, to diversify into the knowledge society, widen conferences, events and courses and water its industrial offer and increase investment in transportation (bottled and in bulk contai- RTD. ners). Industry in the Canaries is currently able to 100% of these services are sourced on La meet 70% of the demand for services needed Palma and this is not expected to change to operate the EST. after the arrival of the EST.

industrial and 9. socio-economic impact 126

9.1. est construction and operating panies, and a slight increase in the pro- costs by geographic area and economic portion of minor items and contingen cy sector funds. Although the return from in vol - vement in instrument could theoreti- 9.1.1. EST construction phase cally be higher, this is unlikely as the EST will be a highly collaborative project The budget for the EST construction phase and it is foreseen that all of the EAST is approximately 135 million euros. This sec- institutions will be highly involved. tion describes the major impact that the EST is expected to have on socio-economic europe development in the host region (Canary Is- lands) and the financial and industrial op- European industry’s capacity for delivering portunities that it will provide for the rest technology for cutting edge telescopes is of Europe. evidenced by its involvement in large scientific facilities construction projects like tho - the canary islands se related to the ESO, (VLTs, E-ELT, ALMA, etc.) or those at the Canary Islands’ Obser- The industrial return expected for the Ca- vatories, telescopes like MAGIC and the nary Islands, related to the installation of GTC. The knowledge gained in the area of the EST in this region, can be estimated with technical requirements for solar telescopes some accuracy based on a set of assump- (like turbulence, thermal issues, etc.) is tions. worthy of special mention, particularly with . Minimum return for the Canaries: 19%, regard to telescopes like the VTT, GREGOR, or around €25 million. THEMIS, SST and DOT, all of which are at the Civil works, the project office, tests Canary Islands’ Observatories. The part cu- in situ, component transport and a pro - rrently being played by European industry portion of the contingency funds are in the EST conceptual design is also note- all likely to be sourced from local com- worthy. This augurs well for positive and panies and they represent around 19% successful responses to future tender invi- of the total construction budget. tations for the EST. . Maximum return for the Canaries: 25%, A survey of current European enterprises or around €34 million. reveals that they have advanced knowled - This 6% increase would result from ge, not just for civil works and basic tech- a higher level of local involvement in nologies but also in fields like telescope instrument development, through the mechanics, dome, optics, primary mirror establishment of new technology com - support system, design and manufacture 127

of the secondary mirror actuators, and de- ved in the EST, a minimum return for each sign and manufacture of the edge sensors country could be envisaged of between 2% for the primary mirror. They have also gai- and 10% of the construction budget, weigh- ned wide-ranging experience of next gene- ted by factors including the relevance of its ration telescope instrument design and solar physics community, the type of con- development. tribution made (in-kind or cash), the level If the EST is sited in the Canaries it will be of resources currently earmarked for solar possible to chart its impact on the region physics and its industrial capacity. Coun- in detail. However, quantifying the industrial tries within the EU with the highest levels and economic returns from its construction of technological capacity could see industrial for enterprises across Europe (including the returns from the EST of somewhere between rest of Spain) is a more complex exercise. 20%-30%. Spain, as the host country, could The high degree of technological capacity see returns above 30%. that will be called for, together with the ab- The financial returns for the whole of Eu- sence of a funding vehicle for its construc- rope (excluding the Canaries) are signifi- tion that could determine the scale of each cant under all of the scenarios suggested country’s involvement, means that it is im- for the Islands, at least 75% and up to 81% possible to provide realistic estimates of the of the construction budget for the EST. The returns that could accrue to each country. high level of involvement of European ins- Nonetheless, as a first attempt and assu- titutions (through EAST) and industry in the ming that proportional financial backing is current conceptual design phase, and their received from the different countries invol- commitment to the subsequent prelimi- 128

nary design phase, suggest that economic ted to the technological advances that will returns are likely to be shared widely among be needed to build a facility like the EST, the different countries involved. which is at the limits of current technology. It is estimated that some €8.8 million will be needed during the construction phase est construction and operating costs by for this budget heading. geographic area and economic sector Machine and mechanical equipment ma - nufacturing industry includes the design, The construction budget for the EST gives construction and installation of the teles- a preliminary breakdown of the different cope’s mirrors, its mechanical structure and component costs of the telescope (civil works, control systems and the scientiﬁc instru- dome, telescope mechanics, optics etc.). The ments, adaptive optics. It is estimated that budget has been broken down into the fo- some €14.3 million will need to be allocated llowing areas to facilitate detailed analysis for this budget heading during the cons- of the economic impact of the project. truction phase. Electrical, electronics and optical indus- Construction includes civil works costs tries includes the main costs of manufac- and the cost of building the dome. The ulti - turing the primary and secondary mirrors, mate level of investment by geographic area the adaptive optics systems, the transfer will depend on the results of the interna- optics, the optical and electronic compo- tional calls, although even when the winner nents of the different instruments, the con- is a foreign company much of the budget trol systems electronics and all of the other will be spent in the local area. It is estimated elements of the telescope, as well as assem - that some €10 million will need to be allo- bly and testing of all of the different elements. cated for this budget heading. The estimated costs under this heading are Metallurgy and manufacturing industries in the region of 51 million euros. (metal, concrete, etc) includes the manufac- Technical consultancy relates to costs for ture of parts of the dome, the telescope pi- architecture and engineering specialists. Du - llar, mount and other materials used during ring the construction phase these costs will construction. be high, and include the ﬁrst year of testing Computer activities include developing and dealing with various contingencies. It is all of the control equipment for the teles- estimated that some €17 million will need cope and its buildings and assembling and to be allocated for this budget heading du- testing them. ring the construction phase. Transport and communications includes Research and Technology Development the costs of transporting materials and staff includes the cost of EST staff and costs rela- for the EST construction project. The cost of 129

Table 8. Percentage estimates of investment in the EST construction project by geographic area.

Investment percentages for % range of spend the EST construction phase by Minimum and maximum geographic area and sector limits by geographic area and sector Investment (M€) The Canaries Europe (including Spain but excluding the Canaries) Electric, electronics and optical 51 0-3% 97-100% materials and equipment industries Architecture and engineering technical Consultancy 17 62-70% 30-38% Machine and mechanical equipment manufacturing industry 14.3 1 -15% 85-99% Construction 10 100% 0% Research and Development 8.8 6 -9% 91-94% Computer activities 8.4 5-6% 94-95% Metallurgy and manufacturing industries (metal, concrete, etc.) 18 15-28% 72-85% Transport and Communications 4.7 9-13% 87-91% Other sectors 2.8 35- 41% 59-65% Total 135 19%-25% 75%-81%

these activities during the construction during the EST construction phase. The process is estimated at 4.7 million euros. best-case scenario for the Canary Islands Other sectors include estimated costs in would be a return increased up to €33 mi- sectors like chemical industries (nitrogen, llion. helium, industrial oil, coolants and diesel) water supply and treatment, accommoda- 9.1.2. EST operating phase tion and other minor costs. €2.8 million is estimated for these costs. This cost will be As stated above, the cost of operating the split across the geographical areas being EST will be approximately 7% of the cons- analysed. truction budget. A budget of €9 million is Table 8 shows the breakdown of the total therefore estimated. This will cover activi- construction budget by the cost headings ties relating to the operation and maintenan - shown above, together with estimates for ce of the telescope as well as the potential the proportion that could be spent in the development of new instruments. Canaries as the host region. In section 2.1.3 an estimate was given for In conclusion, at least €25 million could operating the EST, broken down into diffe- return to the Canaries (as the host region) rent headings (staff, materials, service con- 130

tracts and direct costs of operating the te- from outside the islands. It is estima- lescope), with the conclusion that 9 million ted that 70% of services (in addition to euros would be needed to operate and main - the electricity and water supplies and tain the EST at the ORM or OT. The headings the communal services provided at the are listed again below with an estimate of Observatories) can be procured from the proportions that would be spent in the within the Islands. Canaries as host region and which percen- . It is to be hoped that a significant num - tages would go to other parts of Europe. It ber of researchers at EAST member ins - leads to the conclusion that approximately titutions will come to the Canaries for €7 million would be spent annually in the short work trips. It is difficult to estima - Canaries (operation and maintenance at the te, at this point in the project, the num - site) whilst a further €2 million would be ber of observers and staff from insti - spent in other parts of Europe. tutions participating in the operation This is based on the following assump- of the telescope that might come to tions: the Canaries each year for this purpo se. . 100% of the EST operations team will However, it is possible to foresee some be directly recruited. 70 people are ex- 200 visits per year by such staff, for an pected to work at the EST. average of five days, at a cost of €150 . Most of the spare parts and mechani- per day for food and accommodation. cal and electrical supplies needed for . To promote close working relations- routine operations and maintenance hips between EST staff and staff from at the EST (80%) will be procured from the user institutions, a large number of within the Canary Islands. Only some visitors will also come to the Canaries very specialist parts, like some of the for stays of weeks or months at a time. optical or electronic components, will We estimate that there could be some need to be supplied by companies out- 30 visits of a month each year, on ave- side the islands. rage, again at a cost of €150 per day. . Most of the supplies needed at the te- . There will also certainly be regular me- lescope, like water, electricity, liquid ni- etings and seminars on science and trogen, diesel, etc. will be sourced from technology related to the EST in the within the Islands, as will other services Canaries, as there are for other insta- like cleaning, air conditioning mainte- llations at the ORM and the OT. These nance, electrical maintenance etc. Other events can be technical, focusing on more specialist services for maintaining new techniques and instruments; stra- and developing optical and electronic tegic, on the aims and future of the te- equipment will have to be sourced lescope; or purely scientific, on the 131

Graphic 6. Economic returns from the construction and operation phases of the EST, taking into account the uncertainty of estimates for minimum and maximum returns for the host region (Ca- nary Islands) and other European countries involved in the project (including Spain but excluding the Canary Islands) during the construction phase

120.000.000 .Construction (6 years) 100.000.000 .Operation for period 1-5 .Operation for period 6-10 80.000.000 .Operation for period 11-15 .Operation for period 16-20 60.000.000 .Operation for period 21-25 € uros .Operation for period 26-30 40.000.000

20.000.000

0 Canaries Europe

results that will be achieved with it. Analysis of the operating costs, including Based on previous experience, there maintenance, improvements, supplies and are likely to be around 4 meetings of 50 services, conﬁrms that most of these items people, over an average of 4 days, each can be provided at more competitive prices year. The cost of this per person would by companies in the archipelago than tho - be more than double that for indivi- se elsewhere in Europe. It is assumed that dual visits. The estimated cost of each the management organisation for the te- conference (organisation, conference lescope will also be based in the Canaries room hire, refreshments etc.) is around for operational reasons €75,000. Graphic 6 gives a breakdown of estimated operating costs, grouped in 5-year periods, together with an estimate for the construction costs, by geographic area. 132

In conclusion, the projected direct returns Table 9. Financial returns for the Canaries from for entities in the host region during the operation and maintenance of the EST operating phase are very positive, as a high proportion of the investment for operating Activity Economic return/year € the telescope will be spent in-situ. Although Direct employment ∼ 500 million € initially there is no provision for the deve- Materials and supplies ∼ 0.75 million € lopment of new instruments, only part of Service contracts ∼ 1.25 million the materials needed, together with some Residential stays, € specific subcontracts (computer hardware, visits and meetings ∼ 0.35 million optical design and treatments, manufactu - TOTAL ≈ €7.35 million re of specific components etc) would need to be procured from outside the Canary Islands. Operating and maintaining the telescope 9.2. economic impact of building and could therefore generate direct economic operating the est in the canaries returns for the region of around ∼7.35 million Euros per year (80% of the estimated As described above, the EST project will re- operation and maintenance budget) during quire a direct investment of around 135 mi- the 30 year period, the anticipated life of llion euros for the six years of the cons- this facility. In other words, some €220 mi- truction phase and some 275 million for llion (year zero Euros) of the total €275 mi- operation and maintenance over the sub- llion operating budget. sequent thirty year period. The return for other European regions is This section examines, using estimates estimated at some €55 million, with the fi - given above, the effect on GDP in the region nal distribution dependent on the type of (Canaries) and the number of jobs per year services to be provided (maintenance, tech- that will be created. nical support, instrument development, etc.) Separate analyses are given for the cons- as well as the terms and conditions set for truction and operating phases. No assess- contributions to the EST project. ment is made of the dismantling phase at the end of the telescope’s useful life, although this will undoubtedly have an economic im- Table 9 provides a forecast for economic pact. returns by activity for the Canaries whilst The method chosen to produce the esti- the EST is in operation, with current data mate of these indirect effects, using the in- from the conceptual design phase. formation available, is the Input-Output mo del. To apply this method, which is des- 133

Table 10. Resources and Uses

Resources (columns) Uses (rows) 1. Intermediate Resources 1. Intermediate Products cribed briefly below, we have taken as a basis 2. Added Value 2. Final Consumption the latest tables for expenditures and reve- 3. Effective Production (1+2) 3. Gross Capital nues of each branch of economic activity Formation that are available for the Canaries (2005). 4. Imports 4. Exports This methodology, together with a high 5. Final Demand (2+3+4) level of uncertainty in the estimates for re- 5. Total Resources (3+4) 6. Total Uses (1+5) turns for individual EAST countries, does not allow realistic projections for impact on GDP and employment across the EU, either diate Consumption, Final Uses and Primary as a whole or country by country. This re- Inputs and Resources. port therefore focuses on the project’s im- The rows in these tables correspond to mediate area (the Canary Islands). the different uses of products in each sector, and whether they are intermediate or This section is a summary of the report “Im- final. The first shows the demand for pro- pact of building and operating the EST on duction of a defined good in each of the the Canary Islands using input-output ta- other production sectors. Final use (final bles”, which was produced by Dra. E. Valle demand) shows final consumption for the Valle (UIB, 2010)DB good, as well as its contribution in the form of gross capital formation and exports. The ends of each row give the total demand for 9.2.1. Methodology. Input-Output Analysis each production sector, in other words the sum of intermediate and final demand. The input-output tables give an overall but On the other hand, columns show the re- disaggregated view of a specific economy sources used for effective production in within in a territory, so that interaction bet - each of the sectors. Two classifications are ween different sectors contributing to the used. The first refers to intermediate con- domestic and external economies can be sumption, in other words resources procured seen. at each branch of production. The second, These tables are in double entry format, primary inputs, shows the different elements listing the value of flows of goods and ser- of gross added value (GAV) for each branch vices in the economy of a particular area. and for imports. They also contain three sub tables: Interme- The columns show how available resources are acquired for each production sector

31 “Impact of building and operating the EST on the in the region being examined. In summary, Canaries and Spain using input-output tables” these tables give the account balance ex- (Annex A12). pressed in table 10. 134

These tables therefore show defined in - X = A * X + D [1] teractions in the production system. Specifi - cally, to calculate the effect of an invest ment, where X is a vector column of total inputs technical coefficients, and particularly its of the n productive sectors, A is the techni- inverse matrix, are used. cal coefficient matrix and D is the vector co- Technical coefficients are basically the lumn of final demand. percentages of each input that are directly Applying expression [1] gives us: consumed to produce the sector’s outputs. The technical coefficient matrix can thus X - A * X = D be used to calculate the inputs that each ( 1 - A ) * X = D industry has absorbed for any given amount ( 1 - A ) -1 * ( 1 - A ) * X = ( 1 - A ) -1 * D of final demand. Technical coefficient between sectors i and finally, and j, X = ( 1 - A ) -1 * D [2] xij aij = -1 Xj with (1 - A) being the above-mentioned Leon tief inverse matrix. Where xij is the number of units that sec- Using a vector column containing the in- tor j needs from sector i and Xj is the pro- versions resulting from a particular project duction output of sector j. in the relevant sector, application of the Technical coefficients can therefore be Leontief inverse matrix will give all of the used to determine the direct quantity of indirect and indirect effects that these inves- puts needed per unit of output. The index tments have had on the economy of the of interaction between sectors is shown as area under examination. If the investments indirect needs. The inverted technical coef- vector column is labelled Y and the column ficient matrix therefore provides the indi- containing the direct and indirect effects R, rect coefficients. This matrix is known as the then the formula is as follows: Leontief Inverse Matrix. It shows production as a function of final demand. R = ( 1 - A )-1 * Y In summary, the technical coefficients represent the proportion of intermediary pur- In addition to impact on the local econo - chases and sales relative to total produc tion my, the structure of these tables allows es- and demand. The inverse matrix coefficients timates to be made for the indirect effects also take in all of the indirect transactions on the external economy and in the case of arising from changes in demand. investment in the Canary Islands, this Mathematically, the formula for the Leon - means that the effect on the economy of tief model is as follows: the rest of Spain can be calculated (the 135

The INPUT-OUTPUT MODEL as a method to re detailed description see Pulido and Fontela, quantify the economic impact of the EST on 1993). The common hypothesis of the majo- the Canaries rity of these applications is that the structure of production in each sector can be represen- Wassilly Leontief, winner of the Nobel Prize in ted by fixed technical coefficients and cons- Economic Sciences in 1973, is credited with tant scale returns. This is also known as the crea ting the first input-output table for the Leontief’s production function. This hypothe- American economy. Since then an infinite num - sis and the idea that producers minimise pro- ber of tables have been produced for many duction costs makes it possible to specify the different countries and purposes. SNA-93DC fixed coefficients for each sector using the in- and SEC-95DD view these tables as an essential formation provided by input-output tables for tool for producing National AccountsDE. flows between sectors and payments for pri- Regional IO tables first appeared half a cen- mary factors. There are many limitations, which tury ago in the pioneering work of Walter have been widely documented in the litera- Isard (1951 and 1960) and his collaborators. In ture: they do not allow for the range of factors Spain, the first regional tables appeared during to be limited, nor for the reassignment of fac- consolidation of the political and administrators between sectors; there is no interaction tive decentralisation process initiated in 1978. between markets, no price flexibility and the The main aim of input-output analysis is to behaviour of economic agents is not taken look at the productive interrelations between into account. However, in spite of these limi- different branches and sectors of an economy, tations, this method is a basic ingredient for with a much higher degree of disaggregation understanding the structure of an economy than is normally used in applied economic stu- and helping its regulators to make decisions. dies. This means that they are expensive to This methodology is frequently used to produce. quan tify the economic effects for the rest of Input-output analysis is a label covering a the economy of certain public investments range of very different applications (for a mo- and the performance of some infrastructures. It is a useful method for quantifying the effect 32 The System of National Accounts manuals (SNA) that a specific economic factor has on the rest set out the general structure and classification of the economy. Some concrete examples of and accounting criteria for the production of na- its application to the Canary Islands’ economy tional accounts. The last revision in 1993 (SNA-93) are the economic impact assessments for the presented the results of a working group comprising experts from the world’s principal interna- airports in Gran Canaria (De Rus, et al. 1997) tional statistical organisations (EUROSTAT, OECD, and Tenerife. It has also been used for impact IMF, World Bank and UN) assessments on tourism in the Canaries (Her- 33 In 1996 EUROSTAT published the manual Système nández, 2004). At the national level it has européen des comptes. SEC95, which aimed to har- been used in many different studies, one of monise the national accounts of EU countries the most noteworthy of which is the “Socioe- with the guidelines set down in SNA-93. During the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s the ac- conomic impact assessment of Spanish scien - counting practices of EU and other countries was ce and technology parks” recently published adjusted to the criteria contained in the European by the Spanish Association of Science and System of Integrated Economic Accounts. Technology Parks (APTE), and funded by the 34 See SNA-93, pg. 343, Cañada (1997), pgs. 57-8 and Ministry of Education and Science (MEC). Carrasco (1999), pg. 278 136

2005 IO tables for Spain were used for this Cañada Martínez, Agustín, 1997, Practical in- calculation). troduction to national accounting and As well as the product, the number of the input-output framework: a computer jobs created by an investment can also be assisted manual. Madrid: INE. calculated. Impact on employment is esti- Carrasco Canals, Fernando, 1999, Funda- mated as follows: L is defined as the vector mentals of the European system of na- column obtained by dividing the number of tional and regional accounting (SEC 1995). people employed by the total amount of Madrid: Ediciones Pirámide, S.A. production for each sector. This formula De Rus, G., L. Trujillo, C. Roman y P. Alonso, gives the number of people employed in each (1997): Economic impact of the airport in sector for each million Euros of production. Gran Canaria. Civitas Ediciones, S.L. (ISBN It can be used to obtain the number of jobs 13:9788447007202) created in each sector after a particular in- Gutiérrez, P., L.J. López y M. Navarro. Econo- vestment has been made. mic impact of the airports in Tenerife on The vector L can then be multiplied by the the surrounding area: analysis of passen- total impact vector R, to give the number of gers using the airports on the island of jobs created in a year as a result of the in- Tenerife. vestment. In this method, a job created is Hernández Martín, Raúl (2004). Economic defined as a job that lasts for one year. impact of tourism. The role of imports as outputs of the model. ICE Sector exterior Economic impact assessments carried out español. using the input-output model and other re- Isard, W., 1951, “Interregional and regional levant articles input-output analysis: A model of space economy”, The Review of Economics and Burgos Martín, J., Martínez Roger, C. Barcons, Statistics, 33, págs. 318-328. X., Del Cerro Gordo, A. B., Herrero Davó, Isard, W. et al., 1960, Methods of regional A., Lecuona Ribot, A., Martínez Benítez, analysis: An introduction to regional scien - A., Mas Hesse, M., Muñoz Tuñón, C., Ruiz ce. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. López de la Torre Ayllón, L.E., Serrano Pulido, Antonio y Emilio Fontela, 1993, Input- Ariza, M., Torra Roca, J., Varela Conde, M., Output Analysis. Models, data and appli- Valle Valle, E. (2009). Scientific, technical, cations. Madrid: Ediciones Pirámide. industrial and socio-economic aspects of the European Extremely Large Telescope E-ELT at the Roque de los Muchachos Ob- 9.2.2. Direct, indirect and induced effects servatory, La Palma. on employment and GDP APTE (Asociación de Parques científicos y Tec - nológicos de España). Study of the socio- The input-output table method described economic impact of Spain’s science and above has been applied to the EST cons- technology parks. Málaga. España. truction and operating phases. 137

EST construction phase If induced effects are included this fi gure rises to 0.13% and to 0.20% of the Canaries’ To produce estimates of the proportion of total resources in 2005 (105 to 160 million the construction spend that would remain euros). With regard to added value, 0.065% in the Canary Islands and Europe-15, other and 0.077% (€20.3 and €25.54 million) will similar projects were used as a reference by be needed directly and indirectly and 0.13% examining each sector of their budgets. and 16% of gross added value (€43 to €54 Table 11 gives a breakdown of the diffe- million) if induced effects are included. rent budget headings for the EST construction project in the Input-Output sectors on Effect on employment which the investment would impact. If we focus on the relevant features within Regarding job creation, the construction of the Canary Islands (like the telescope site, the EST will create between 434 and 564 jobs entities with technological capacity, provi- (between 349 and 564 salaried positions ders, specialised human resources, etc.) two and 85 to 107 non-salaried), where a job is extremes scenarios emerge for direct returns defined as lasting one year. If other induced (tables 12 and 13) anticipated in the Canary effects on gross added value are taken into Islands, which will serve as entry values for account, this figure rises to between 1003 the corresponding Input-Output analysis. and 1279 jobs (between 824 and 1054 salaried positions). Preliminary results for the construction phase EST operating phase

Effect on GDP The operating costs for the EST in the geographic areas studied are significant not On the basis of the hypotheses produced, only for the gross added value and employ- and that returns are most likely to be bet- ment that will be directly created, but also ween the limits described, the first results because of the effect that it will have on from the application of the input-output the rest of the economy. Supply companies table method are given below. and production of the elements needed to These first results indicate that building build the telescope are also an essential part the telescope in the Canaries, at a cost of of the impact of this project on the econo- between €25 and €33 million in the region, will mies analysed. Impact on the Canary Islands require an investment of between 0.062% is particularly relevant as they are the phy - and 0.077% of gross added value for the Ca- sical location where this large telescope naries in 2005. To meet this, direct and in- will operate. direct investments of between 0.07% and Estimates for the economic impact of ope - 1.23% of the Canaries’ total resources (bet- rating the EST on the Canaries are based on ween 56 and 98 million euros) will be needed. the following assumptions: 138

Table 11. EST budget headings, by Input-Output sector

est budget estimate percentage investment per year by sector october 2010 canaries input output 2005 Budget (€uros) 1 2 3 4 5 6 Total % sectors identified in the est investment construction project /sector Electric, electronics and optical materials and equipment industries 50.808.000 3,78% 7,56% 9,12% 11,35% 5,67% 0,05% 37,82% Architecture and engineering technical consultancy 17.183.000 1,92% 1,92% 2,56% 2,56% 1,92% 1,92% 12,79% Machine and mechanical equipment manufacturing industry 14.281.100 1,59% 1,59% 2,13% 2,13% 1,59% 1,59% 10,63% Construction 9.846.920 0,50% 1,10% 2,17% 2,47% 1,10% 0,00% 7,33% Research and Development 8.770.920 1,63% 1,31% 1,31% 1,31% 0,98% 0,00% 6,53% Computer activities 8.424.240 0,94% 0,94% 1,25% 1,25% 0,94% 0,94% 6,27% Metallurgy and other metal products 7.183.160 0,80% 0,80% 2,35% 1,07% 0,80% 0,00% 5,35% Fabrication of metal products for construction 6.197.237 0,69% 1,89% 2,12% 0,92% 0,00% 0,00% 4,61% Fabrication of concrete, gypsum and cement elements and stone industry 41.00.960 0,46% 0,46% 0,61% 0,61% 0,46% 0,46% 3,05% Post and telecommunications 3.022.856 0,34% 0,34% 0,45% 0,45% 0,34% 0,34% 2,25% Maritime transport 1.213.075 0,14% 0,14% 0,18% 0,18% 0,14% 0,14% 0,90% Hotel and other accommodation services 1.143.896 0,13% 0,13% 0,17% 0,17% 0,13% 0,13% 0,85% Fabrication of other non-metallic mineral products 913.000 0,10% 0,10% 0,14% 0,14% 0,10% 0,10% 0,68% Water storage, puriﬁcation and distribution 559.740 0,06% 0,06% 0,08% 0,08% 0,06% 0,06% 0,42% Land transport 465.600 0,05% 0,05% 0,07% 0,07% 0,05% 0,05% 0,35% Chemical Industry 223.896 0,03% 0,03% 0,03% 0,03% 0,03% 0,03% 0,17% TOTAL 134.337.600 13,16% 18,42% 24,74% 24,78% 14,31% 5,80% 100,00% 139

Table 12. EST budget headings, by Input-Output sector for the Canaries - Lower limit

investment for construction of percentage investment per year and per sector in the canaries the est by sector in the canaries input output sectors Budget (€uros) 1 2 3 4 5 6 Total % identified in the est investment construction project /sector Electric, electronics and optical materials and equipment industries 100.000 0,01% 0,01% 1,57% 0,02% 0,01% 0,05% 0,07% Architecture and engineering technical consultancy 10.600.000 1,18% 1,18% 1,58% 1,58% 1,18% 1,18% 7,89% Machine and mechanical equipment manufacturing industry 100.000 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,07% Construction 9.846.920 0,50% 1,10% 2,17% 2,47% 1,10% 0,00% 7,33% Research and Development 500.000 0,71% 0,39% 0,07% 0,07% 0,06% 0,00% 0,37% Computer activities 425.000 0,05% 0,05% 0,06% 0,06% 0,05% 0,05% 0,32% Fabrication of metal products for construction 510.000 0,06% 1,26% 1,28% 0,08% 0,00% 0,00% 0,38% Fabrication of concrete, gypsum and cement elements and stone industry 2.050.500 0,23% 0,23% 0,31% 0,31% 0,23% 0,23% 1,53% Post and telecommunications 320.000 0,04% 0,04% 0,05% 0,05% 0,04% 0,04% 0,24% Maritime transport 60.700 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,05% Hotel and other accommodation services 572.000 0,06% 0,06% 0,09% 0,09% 0,06% 0,06% 0,43% Fabrication of other non-metallic mineral products 92.000 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,07% Water storage, puriﬁcation and distribution 56.000 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,04% Land transport 47.000 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,03% Chemical Industry 50.000 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,04% TOTAL 25.330.120 2,88% 4,36% 7,23% 4,78% 2,77% 1,65% 18,86% scenario 1.1. direct returns for the canary islands equivalent to ∼19% of the total construction budget (lower limit). 140

Table 13. EST budget headings, by Input-Output sector for the Canary Islands – Upper limit

investment for construction of percentage investment per year and per sector in the canaries the est by sector in the canaries input output sectors Budget (€uros) 1 2 3 4 5 6 Total % identified in the est investment construction project /sector Electric, electronics and optical materials and equipment industries 1.500.000 0,11% 0,22% 1,78% 0,33% 0,17% 0,05% 1,12% Architecture and engineering technical consultancy 12.000.000 1,34% 1,34% 1,79% 1,79% 1,34% 1,34% 8,93% Machine and mechanical equipment manufacturing industry 2.142.000 0,24% 0,24% 0,32% 0,32% 0,24% 0,24% 1,59% Construction 9.846.920 0,50% 1,10% 2,17% 2,47% 1,10% 0,00% 7,33% Research and Development 800.000 0,74% 0,42% 0,12% 0,12% 0,09% 0,00% 0,60% Computer activities 500.000 0,06% 0,06% 0,07% 0,07% 0,06% 0,06% 0,37% Fabrication of metal products for construction 1.900.000 0,21% 1,41% 1,48% 0,28% 0,00% 0,00% 1,41% Fabrication of concrete, gypsum and cement elements and stone industry 3.000.000 0,33% 0,33% 0,45% 0,45% 0,33% 0,33% 2,23% Post and telecommunications 60.700 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,05% Maritime transport 687.000 0,08% 0,08% 0,10% 0,10% 0,08% 0,08% 0,51% Hotel and other accommodation services 92.000 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,07% Fabrication of other non-metallic mineral products 92.000 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,07% Water storage, puriﬁcation and distribution 56.000 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,04% Land transport 47.000 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,03% Chemical Industry 50.000 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,01% 0,04% TOTAL 33.181.620 3,70% 5,29% 8,40% 6,05% 3,49% 2,19% 24,70%

scenario 1.2. direct returns for the canary islands equivalent to ∼25% of the total construction budget (upper limit) 141

. The cost of operating the EST for 30 Effect on employment years or longer will be around 7% of construction costs. This percentage in- Regarding job creation, defined by this in - cludes both activities related to opera- put-output model as the number of new tions and maintenance of the teles cope one-year positions, the operation of the EST and new instrument development. would create around 4,499 one-year jobs, . The amount of this budget that will (3,892 salaried positions). Taking into ac- remain in the Canaries is around €7.35 count the effects on gross added value, this million (table 14). As stated above, this figure rises to 1,858 jobs, 28.58% or 2,564 of sum includes the costs of operating which would be in the “Research and Deve- and maintaining the telescope in the lopment” sector. Canaries and the proportion of the budget allocated for new instrument Multiplier Effect Estimate development that would return to the Canaries. As a result of the direct investment anticipated for the EST, real production will rise Preliminary results for the operating phase in the various geographical locations examined. In addition to this increase there will Effect on GDP also be a multiplier effect on the economy, generating increased profits for companies On the basis of this hypothesis, the first re- in other sectors within the economy; part sults from the application of the input-out- of this will go towards consumption, lea- put table method indicate that operating ding to cascade increases and giving rise to the telescope in the Canary Islands, with a a “multiplication” of the investment. This spend of €220 million within this region, Multiplier is estimated to be 2.89 (including would require an investment equivalent to induced effects) for the Canaries. 0.517% of gross added value for the Cana- Table 14 is a summary of the points above ries in 2005. To meet this, direct and indi- in relation to gross added value and job cre- rect investments of 0.725% of the Canary ation for the two project phases indicated. Islands’ total resources (€580 million) would be needed. When induced effects are included this figure rises to 1.246% of the Cana- ries’ total resources in 2005 (€997 million) and the figure in terms of added value is 1.101% (€363.7 million). 142

Table 14. Breakdown of EST operating budget spent in the Canaries by Input-Output sector estimated cost of operating the est in the canaries for a thirty year period SHOWN AS A % OF CONSTRUCTION COSTS 5 year periods -> year 1 to 5 year 6 to 10

IOT Sectors % investment ANNUAL Budget (kEuro) investment % ANNUAL Budget (kEuro) investment % ANNUAL Electric, electronics and optical materials and equipment industries 0,30% 403,01 0,30% 403,01 0,27% Architecture and engineering technical advice 0,12% 161,21 0,14% 188,07 0,15% Machine and mechanical equipment manufacturing industry 0,20% 268,68 0,25% 335,84 0,27% Research and Development 3,20% 4298,80 3,60% 4836,15 3,80% Computer activities 0,50% 671,69 0,50% 671,69 0,40% Metallurgy and other metal products 0,10% 134,34 0,08% 107,47 0,05% Fabrication of metal products for construction 0,10% 134,34 0,12% 161,21 0,12% Post and telecommunications 0,25% 335,84 0,22% 295,54 0,20% Maritime transport 0,05% 67,17 0,05% 67,17 0,03% Hotel and other accommodation services 0,15% 201,51 0,15% 201,51 0,15% Catering services 0,05% 67,17 0,05% 67,17 0,05% Production and distribution of electrical, gas and steam energy 0,19% 255,24 0,19% 255,24 0,20% Water storage, puriﬁcation and distribution 0,02% 26,87 0,02% 26,87 0,02% Land transport 0,05% 67,17 0,05% 67,17 0,05% Chemical Industry 0,03% 40,30 0,03% 40,30 0,03% TOTAL COSTS OF OPERATIONS IN THE CANARIES 5,31% 7133,33 5,75% 7724,41 5,79% TOTAL COSTS OF OPERATING THE EST 6,80% 9134,96 7,10% 9537,97 7,15% WITHIN THE CANARIES 78,09% 80,99% 80,98% 143

year 11 to 15 year 16 to 20 year 21 to 25 year 26 to 30 investment total

Budget (kEuro) investment % ANNUAL Budget (kEuro) % investment ANNUAL Budget (kEuro) % investment ANNUAL Budget (kEuro) TOTAL % investment Budget (kEuro)

362,71 0,25% 335,84 0,20% 268,68 0,10% 134,34 7,10% 9537,97 201,51 0,10% 134,34 0,10% 134,34 0,05% 67,17 3,30% 4433,14

362,71 0,20% 268,68 0,20% 268,68 0,20% 268,68 6,60% 8866,28 5104,83 3,70% 4970,49 3,70% 4970,49 3,50% 4701,82 107,50% 144.412,92 537,35 0,50% 671,69 0,50% 671,69 0,50% 671,69 14,50% 19.478,95 67,17 0,05% 67,17 0,05% 67,17 0,00% 0,00 1,65% 2216,57

161,21 0,05% 67,17 0,00% 0,00 0,00% 0,00 1,95% 2619,58 268,68 0,20% 268,68 0,20% 268,68 0,20% 268,68 6,35% 8530,44 40,30 0,01% 13,43 0,05% 67,17 0,05% 67,17 1,20% 1612,05 201,51 0,15% 201,51 0,12% 161,21 0,10% 134,34 4,10% 5507,84 67,17 0,05% 67,17 0,04% 53,74 0,02% 26,87 1,30% 1746,39

268,68 0,20% 268,68 0,20% 268,68 0,20% 268,68 5,90% 7925,92 26,87 0,02% 26,87 0,02% 26,87 0,02% 26,87 0,60% 806,03 67,17 0,04% 53,74 0,04% 53,74 0,04% 53,74 1,35% 1813,56 40,30 0,03% 40,30 0,03% 40,30 0,03% 40,30 0,90% 1209,04 7778,15 5,55% 7455,74 5,45% 7321,40 5,01% 6730,31 164,30% 220.716,68 9605,14 6,80% 9134,96 6,80% 9134,96 6,20% 8328,93 204,25% 274.384,55 81,62% 80,15% 80,81% 80,44% 144

Table 15. GDP, multiplier and jobs created in the Canaries as a result of building and operating the EST

Geographic Direct Production Gross Jobs crea- Production Gross Jobs created area and inves- (Direct and added ted (including added (including phase tment indirect value (Direct and consequen- value consequen- (Millions of effect) (Direct and indirect tial effects) (including tial effects) euros) indirect effect) conse- effect) quential effects) CANARIES Construction 25-33 40-51 20-26 434-564 80-101 43-54 1003-1279 Operation 221 297 171 4 499 633 364 9 286 (30 years) TOTAL 246-254 337-348 191-197 4933-5063 713-734 407-418 10.289-10.565 Multiplier 1,37 2,89

Table 16. Full-time-equivalent jobs created in the Canary Islands during the construction and operation of the EST

Geographic area and phase Number of full-time-equiva- Number of full-time-equivalent lent jobs created during the jobs created during the project project phase indicated. phase indicated, also including Direct and indirect effect induced effects

The Canary Islands Construction (6 years) 72-94 167-213 Operation (30 years) 150 309

If the number of one-year positions is Building and operating the EST could deliver properly adjusted to give the total number a gross added value for the Canary Islands, of full-time-equivalent jobs created during taking into account induced effects, of up to the telescope’s construction (6 years) and €418 million. operating (30 years) phases, the ﬁgure is as The effect on employment, again including follows in table 16. induced effects, would be up to 213 new full- time-equivalent jobs during the construction phase, and a further 309, also full time, during the 30-year operating period. 145

9.2.3. Technological and industrial impact of building and operating the EST

The technological and industrial impact is quantified by the return for production acti - vity, either as tangible benefits or opportunities for trade or innovation, from investments in cutting edge technological deve - lopments. The technologies needed to build the EST will largely be developed during the teles- Figure 24. Different perspectives of the conceptual de- cope’s construction phase and will come sign for the telescope and part of the main building. from across the whole of Europe. It is hoped that the construction of the telescope will create new applications for technology and and will provide opportunities for compa- creation of highly skilled jobs and related nies to work on contracts with unpreceden- industry. ted technological challenges. Today, the science of solar physics is very Innovations of technological and indus- dependent on high technology and robust trial interest from a telescope of this kind, partnerships with industry are needed to include, during the construction phase, the confront the large-scale engineering cha- production of the mirrors, actuators and llenges of the next generation telescopes. sensors, large mechanical structures, adap- This means that there are benefits for both tive optics and post-focal instruments, ac- sides (science and economy). tive support systems and high precision The EST, viewed worldwide as one of the large mass pointing and guiding mecha- most important projects for ground-based nisms. The critical technologies for the te- solar physics, is a highly technological pro- lescope’s instruments will include precision ject. It will give rise to many new technolo- mechanics, highly dimensionally stable ma- gies with potential applications for industry terials, mechanical integration and thermal 146

Graphic 7. Proﬁle of cumulative technological and industrial returns by geographical region estimated during the EST construction and operating phases

100,00% 90,00% 80,00% 70,00% < operation >

60,00% < construction > 50,00% 40,00% 30,00% 20,00% 10,00% 0,00% 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030

regulation and multi-conjugate optics. These It is anticipated that most of the techno- innovative technologies are all profiled in logical returns from the EST will come during the conceptual design phase (figure 24). the construction phase, both for the host re- The level of technological returns for gion and for the rest of Europe (Graphic 7). each country from involvement in the pro- It is expected that the first technological ject will depend on a range of factors inclu- returns will come from the development ding: and testing of the first technical compo- . The strategic technologies needed for nents for the telescope (heat trap, sensors, construction and operation of the EST. control systems, mirrors etc.). Instrument . The largest companies with the capa- development will take more time, but it city to be involved. promises to bring technological breakth- . Financial support for the project from roughs for the companies involved. During the applicable country. the construction phase it is estimated that . New business opportunities arising from a technological return of some 10% could involvement in the project. accrue to the Canary Islands by the end of . Strategic alliances cemented during the the construction phase, with 60% accruing project. to the rest of Europe. The remaining 30% of technological and industrial returns would be split, with approximately 10% for 147

the Canary Islands and 20% to the rest of The Canary Islands are visited by over ni - Europe. ne million tourists each year, most of them A large part of the technological impact from European countries with telescopes of the EST will take the form of new highly and instruments on the peaks of Tenerife skilled jobs, during both construction and and La Palma. Many of these visitors show operating phases. The latter will be espe- an interest in visiting the facilities their cially relevant for the Canaries. home countries take part in. (Figure 25). The operating phase will deliver additional It is therefore planned to add to the exis- technological returns in the form of “techno- ting information facilities, which are at the logy services” and associated industrial returns Teide Observatory (Visitors Centre), a Cultu- in the form of “specific supplies”. As mentio- ral Park at the Roque de los Muchachos in ned previously, it is anticipated that the Cana- La Palma, with installations designed to de- ries could successfully compete for much of monstrate, in a very user-friendly way, the the maintenance and improvement work on most interesting aspects of the Observa- the telescope. As no new instruments are tory and the science it produces. The main during the operation phase, no technologi- goals are as follows: cal returns are anticipated from this source. . Providing first class tourist facilities on Tenerife and La Palma, designed to com - 9.3. socio-cultural impact and potential plement the installations and lands- for science tourism cape that they will service. . Promote the ORM and OT and their natu - The management and operating model ral environment as tourist attractions. of the Canary Islands’ astrophysics Obser- . Develop astronomy and natural scien - vatories is based on the belief that scientific ce experiences for the public, at facili- knowledge must form part of the culture ties designed to complement scientific of the Islands' citizens. Installations are the- activities at the Canary Island’s As- refore open to the general public by means trophysics Observatories and their Na- of organised tours. The Observatories re- tional Parks (the natural environment ceive an average of 12,000 visitors each year in which they stand). including groups of school and university . Attract the general public basically students, conference delegates, tourists, etc. through astronomic activities in the is- Experience shows that visiting the facilities, lands being also an interpreting centre hearing about the work that goes on in them of the natural and ethnographical en- and understanding how they contribute to vironment. scientific progress, is the best way to build . Create an Astronomy Package Holiday, interest in and enthusiasm for astrophysics. with stays near the Observatories and 148

a range of observation opportunities, for . “Eyes on the sky” (Exhibition area, ap- different types of international group prox 200 mC). (amateur astronomers, students and . “Around the observatories” (Exhibition tho se with a general interest). area, approx 125 mC). . Provide the Observatories with a Re - cep tion Area, to channel and take care This facility is key not only for managing of their needs and a system for contro- tourism at the Roque de los Muchachos lling visits and guarantee the area is Observatory but also for inspiring quality protected for astronomical observation. tourism in La Palma as a whole. . Channel what amateur associations The arrival of the EST will generate a would like from the Observatories. huge amount of economic activity both in itself and through the birth of small com- In pursuit of these goals the Teide Obser- panies with interests in its maintenance and vatory is offering a range of public outreach operation; it will also be a new attraction activities (guided tours, open doors days, for the island, increasing its international star observations), making MONS (a 50 cm profile and visitor appeal. As has been de- reflecting telescope) available to amateurs monstrated elsewhere in the world, large and students and has opened its Visitor science infrastructure projects are an enor- Centre, a converted dome which has been mous lure, bringing a constant flow of tourists equipped to provide the public with in- and with them very significant benefits for sights into science. With capacity to hold the local economy. In other words, large forty people, the centre is used to tell visi- scientific installations are not just advan- tors about the observatory and its telesco- ced science instruments or public educa- pes and about the vital role that astronomy tion tools; they are the engine that drives plays for humankind. the creation of quality tourism. The Cultural Park at the ORM will have general use facilities like a car park, cafete- 9.4. social perception and added value ria, toilets and a retail area, with themed areas and exhibitions making up the visitor The population of the Canaries is imbued centre proper. There will be a range of the- with a sense of the importance of the Ob- med content, which could include some or servatories and their telescopes present all of the list below: and future. They see the Observatories and . “The Canary Islands, a window on the the quality of the sky as an opportunity for universe” (145 mC hall holding up to 75 creating quality tourism in Tenerife and La people, for lectures, presentations and Palma, by targeting visitors who are inte- press conferences). rested in observation. 149

Figure 25. Left, a group of visitors to the OT observing the Sun during an open doors day (2009). Right, ORM open doors day in 2008, with the SST and DOT solar telescopes in the background.

The rolling out of the Sky Law has raised is also the chosen site for the Gregor teles- awareness, particularly amongst the inha- cope, which will be the largest solar teles- bitants of La Palma, who understand and cope in the world when it enters service value the quality of their sky and feel a sen - shortly. This observatory has already been se of responsibility for its protection. The visited by thousands of residents and tou- IAC’s head office in La Laguna has also wor- rists and is a science and technology resour - ked to raise the awareness of residents and ce for the inhabitants of the island. visitors on Tenerife, publicising the observa - La Palma, which is entirely protected by tories’ work and reinforcing the importance the Sky Law, is an Astronomical Reserve and of looking after the sky to minimise nega- a Biosphere Reserve. It is no surprise that La tive effects. The inhabitants of the Canary Palma was the platform for the launch of Islands are certainly conscious that they li - the Starlight world initiative, which seeks ve in a unique site; islands rivalled by just a to protect the night sky and the right to ob- few places worldwide for the quality of as- serve the stars. Starlight has financial support trophysical observation. As well as the as- from UNESCO, the International Astrono- trophysics enclaves the Canary Islands are mical Union (IAU) and other international home to a multitude of mountain viewpoints organisations. A training course for guides, where spectacular sunsets, totally clean skies with certification by Starlight, has recently and expansive, beautiful views of the stars been launched. can be enjoyed. Tenerife, which is partially protected by 9.4.1. Cultural enrichment (promotion of the Sky Law, houses at its Teide Observatory science) some of the best European solar telescopes, some of which have clocked up over 25 There can be no doubt that of all the expe- years of uninterrupted observation. The sky rimental sciences, astrophysics enjoys the quality of this site is backed by decades of highest level of public interest. There is a atmospheric characterisation data. The OT range of reasons for this, including: 150

Canary Islands sky promotional campaign. Tenerife 2008.

. Many of the questions that human mathematics as well as chemistry, bio- beings ask about nature and where logy, engineering and computing. they came from are addressed by this science (like cosmology, exobiology, pla - The EST, which will examine fundamen- netary climate studies, black holes, dark tal processes in the Sun at their smallest matter, astroparticles, etc.) scales, will provide vital information to ad- . Recent technological and experimen- vance our understanding: tal developments (like space and giant . Sun-Earth Connection (particle and very teles copes, infrared and X-ray observa- high energy radiation emission can af- tion satellites, new detectors, radio and fect the environment on Earth). visible range interferometry, super . Basic physics laboratory (detailed in- com pu ters, etc.) are bringing us closer, formation about plasma and magnetic or will bring us closer in the near fu- ﬁeld interaction can only be obtai ned in ture, to answering these fundamental Sun's extreme physical conditions). questions, and . A fundamental platform for unders- . This science is markedly interdiscipli- tanding the rest of the Universe (all nary, with relationships to physics and stars are suns). 151

The EAST institutions are aware of the trophysics, encouraged participants to fo- level of public interest in solar physics and llow and champion the telescopes’ achieve- the importance of maintaining it. The EAST ments, fostered a sense of pride in them and countries have therefore put together and stimulated interest in winning and housing staged a range of activities to promote pu- large projects like the EST. blic interest in science, both individually in Building and operating the EST will pro- their own geographical areas and jointly in vide tremendous opportunities for solar the region of the IAC Canary Islands’ Obser- physics education (student competitions, vatories. They include a range of audiovi- tele-astronomy workshops, educational ma - sual material on the astrophysics facilities terial, exhibitions, documentaries, children’s and their achievements for science, websi- theatre, digital newspapers...) by specialist tes promoting astronomy, talks and guided publishers, schools, science museums and tours at the observatories and educational planetariums. material and themed exhibitions. These activities were a valuable experience for students and the general public. They created a sense of familiarity with As- conclusions 154

This report, produced in the context of the EST Conceptual Design Study, analyses the principal technical, financial and socio-economic implications of building and operating this large research infrastructure, with the aim of providing a reference frame work to be used in the decision-making process for the forthcoming phases of this European initiative in transnational scientific collaboration. Like EAST, the ASTRONET network and other transnational organisations, this report concludes that the EST is an unprecedented opportunity for the European solar physics community to unite behind a technological challenge that will greatly expand the horizons of solar physics. In fact, the EST is the greatest European effort in ground-based solar physics. It is especially important to underline that the Canary Islands’ Astrophysics Observatories have excellent credentials as the site for the EST, meeting all of the scientific, technical and logistical criteria established by the consortium promoting the project. Of all of the projects backed by ASTRONET and ESFRI, the EST is the one large European infrastructure project which the scientists involved unanimously agree can only conceivably be built in the Canary Is- landsDF. In addition to the Observatories themselves, sea level support facilities (CALP and the IAC Headquarters) already have the basic and advanced infrastructures needed to build and operate the EST. Infrastructure and supply upgrades, many already under- way and others planned for the future, fully meet the support and services needs of the EST. These infrastructures therefore have a significant strategic and economic value for the EST project. Buil- ding and operating the EST in the Canary Islands will keep their Ob- servatories at the forefront of solar science and build on their long, successful record of attracting latest generation telescopes and instruments. The Observatories also offer a number of strategic advantages: . The proximity of the ORM and the OT to inhabited areas (population centres) is an advantage in terms of comfort, economy and logistics and will make operating and maintenance plans and budgets for the EST more efficient. . Movement of research and technical personnel from Europe to the EST in the Canary Islands has been well established for decades. These Observatories, because they are within EU te-

35 Other similar projects that could be sited in the Canary Islands, which are highlighted by ASTRONET and ESFRI, like the CTA (Cherenkov Telescope Array), have also considered other potential sites. 155

rritory, also provide the highest level of legal assurance and protection for research and technical personnel. . A recent seismic and volcanic risk assessment for the Obser- vatories on La Palma, Tenerife and Hawaii concluded that the level of risk in the Canary Islands is minimal. This is corrobora- ted by data collected over the last thirty-ﬁve years and projections created using them. Compared to sites with a higher level of geological risk, construction costs in the Canary Islands would be lower.

Regarding financial feasibility, EAST, an association of European scientific institutions, needs commitment and contributions from their respective funding agencies for R&D in order to build EST. Con- tributions from the interested countries may be topped up by EU funds although, as with other large research infrastructure projects, the financial impetus will need to come from the corresponding funding agencies. For Spain this project could represent an unprecedented opportunity to oversee the construction of a large European research infrastructure, meaning that decisive support (political and financial) from the country’s regional and national authorities is vitally important in order to steer the project through its subsequent phases with the other European partners involved. The estimated construction budget is around €135 million, most of which is expected to come from funding agencies in the participating countries. Financial commitment must be solid and lasting in order to meet the costs of the subsequent operating phase. These costs are estimated at 7% of the construction costs, a total of €275 million over the anticipated operating period of some 30 years. These large investments will provide an attractive scenario of technological opportunity including, in addition to the ordinary operation expenses, production of mirrors, actuators and sensors, large mechanical structures, adaptive optics and post-focal instruments, active support systems and high precision large mass pointing and guiding mechanisms, precision mechanics, highly dimensional stable materials, mechanical integration and thermal regulation and multi-conjugate adaptive optics, among others. European industry has the technological capacity to meet 100% of the project’s needs, whether as a main contractor or on systems and subsys - tems. Proof of the high level of interest in the project from the manufacturing sector is the dozen European enterprises that were involved in the EST Conceptual Design phase. 156

There is no doubt that building and operating the EST will create a large number of new highly skilled jobs, especially in areas near the facility. Experience at international organisations like the ESO, ESA and other institutions, indicates that over 60% of the total jobs created often go to personnel from the host region or country. This is particularly important for highly skilled jobs. The Canary Islands are very dependent on the services sector, particularly tourism, and would therefore benefit from the diversified economy, impact on GDP and quality jobs creation that a project like the EST would bring. This report puts the estimated returns from the construction and operation of the EST for the Canary Islands at €54 to €364 million of gross added value respectively, including induced effects. Operating the EST in the Canary Islands will produce direct financial returns for the region of around €220 million over 30 years, the telescope’s anticipated lifespan. The impact on employment, taking into account induced effects, would be some 213 new full time jobs created during the construction phase and a further 309 during the 30 year operating phase, also full time, most of them in the Canary Islands. However, given the high degree of uncertainty about on which regions tenders and service providers related to this project will be located, apart from those anticipated for the host region, attempting to provide individual information on the industrial return, GDP increase and job creation for the different countries involved (including Spain as a whole) would be a complex and unconvincing enterprise. From a social and educational perspective the EST will be a permanent resource for the whole of Europe for training young researchers and technologists, and a reference for scientific outreach in the coming decades. As this report explains, the opportunity that building the EST represents for Europe as a whole goes hand in hand with the particular benefits that would accrue to the Canary Islands from housing this unique infrastructure. The Canaries are involved in the production of the 2014-2020 development strategy for the Outermost Re- gions, providing them with an unprecedented opportunity to include large research infrastructure projects on the list of priorities for the principal structural funds (ERDF and the European Social Fund), which means a favourable scenario regarding financial support of the EST could be envisaged. For the governance and management of the EST, the legal framework put in place by the European Commission for the creation 157

and operation of transnational research infrastructure (ERIC) provides a functional model with sufficient guarantees for the project to go ahead without significant difficulty in this regard. The adoption of an ERIC is therefore suggested as the ideal legal format for subsequent phases of the project. Finally, this report underlines the importance of including this project not just in initiatives like the ESFRI Roadmap but also in the corresponding EU work plans and those of the countries involved in order to grasp the current opportunity to assure the project’s con - tinuity and economic feasibility. The countries involved now need to combine and redouble their efforts, continuing on to the following phase of the preliminary design in 2012 and moving forward with the international agreement so that progress can be assured for the subsequent construction and design phases. 158

acronyms AO Adaptive Optics APTE Spanish Association of Science and Technology Parks ATC Automatic Transit Circle ATST Advanced Technology Solar Telescope BBSO Big Bear Solar Observatory BL Bound Layer BRT Bradford Robotic Telescope BSC-CNS Barcelona Supercomputing Center-Centro Nacional de Supercomputación CALP Centro de Astrofísica de La Palma CCI Comité Científico Internacional CCT Common Customs Tariff CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research CeSViMa Centro de Supercomputación y Visualización de Madrid CDTI Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico e Industrial CRA Consiglio per le Ricerche Astronomiche CSIC Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas CTA Cherenkov Telescope Array DOT Dutch Open Telescope EAST European Association for Solar Telescopes EC European Commission E-ELT European Extremely Large Telescope EIB European Investment Bank EIF European Investment Fund ERA European Research Area ERCF ESFRI RSFF Capital Facility ERDF European Regional Development Fund ERIC European Research Infrastructure Consortium ESA European Space Agency ESFRI European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures ESO European Southern Observatory EST European Solar Telescope EU European Union FA Free Atmosphere FP6 Sixth Framework Programme FP7 Seventh Framework Programme GAV Gross Added Value GDP Gross Domestic Product GMT Giant Magellan Telescope GSC Guide Star Catalogue GSHAP Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Program GTC Gran Telescopio CANARIAS IA-UNAM Instituto de Astronomía - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México IAC Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias IAU International Astronomical Union ICSTM Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine ICTS Instalaciones Científico-Técnicas Singulares IGIC Canaries General Indirect Tax INAF Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica INAOE Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica 159

ING Isaac Newton Group of Telescopes INT Isaac Newton Telescope IO International Organizations JOSO Joint Organization for Solar Observations LEST Large European Solar Telescope LT Liverpool Telescope MAGIC Major Atmospheric Gamma ray Imaging Cherenkov MCAO Multi-conjugate Adaptive Optics system MEC Ministry of Education and Science MSO Mees Solar Observatory NOT Nordic Optical Telescope OGS Optical Ground Station ORM Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory OT Teide Observatory OTA Optical Telescope Array OTPC Sky Quality Protection Technical Office PGA Peak Ground Acceleration PRACE Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe QUIJOTE Q-U-I Joint Tenerife CMB Experiment RIC Canary Islands Investment Reserve RSAS Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences RTD Scientific Research, Technological Development and Innovation REF Fiscal and Financial Regime RES Spanish Supercomputer Network RIC Canary Islands Investment Reserve SHABAR Shadow Band Ranger SL Superficial Layer SME Small and Medium sized Enterprise SOHO Solar & Heliopheric Observatory SST Swedish Solar Telescope ST Society of the Telescope STScI Space Telescope Science Institute SUCOSIP Subcommittee for Site Protection and Characterization TAC Time Allocation Committee TCS Carlos Sánchez Telescope THEMIS Heliographic Telescope for the Study of the Magnetism and Instabilities on the Sun TMT Thirty Meter Telescope TNG Telescopio Nazionale Galileo UIB University of the Balearic Islands ULL University of La Laguna (Tenerife) UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization USGS United States Geological Survey VAT Value Added Tax VEI Volcanic Explosity Index VSA Very Small Array VTT Vacuum Tower Telescope WHT William Herschel Telescope ZEC Canary Islands Special Zone 160

list of A1 Terms of Reference for the European Association for Solar Telescopes annexes (EAST). February 2007. Document produced by EAST on the structure, goals and activities agreed for this European Association.

A2 “A Science Vision for European Astronomy”. ASTRONET 2007. Document produced by ASTRONET examining the key science questions of the future and the observational facilities and equipment that will be needed for work on them in the coming years.

A3 ENO. A priviledged site for astronomical observations. January 2001. A leaﬂet describing the quality of the sky over the Canary Islands’ Observatories.

A4 Spanish Science Vision of EST: Magnetic Coupling of the Solar Atmos- phere. February 2007. This document describes the current state of existing Solar Physics infrastructures, outlines why the EST is needed and lists the principal scientiﬁc projects that this next generation telescope could tackle.

A5 EST Science Requirements Document. November 2009. This document lists requirements for the principal science projects put forward for the EST and other scientiﬁc priorities for consideration in terms of its design.

A6 Agreement for cooperation in Astrophysics. May 1979. Cooperation agreement signed by Spain, Denmark, the United King- dom, Ireland and Sweden governing the use of the Canary Islands’ Observatories.

A7 Law 31/1988 of 31st October, for Protection of the Astronomical Quality of the Observatories of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. This law set out a package of measures designed to assure protection of the astronomical quality of the Canary Islands’ sky. 161

A8 Royal Decree 243/1992, of the 13th March, giving approval to the Re- gulations of Law 31/1988, of 31st October, on protection of the astronomical Observatories of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. Royal decree governing the application of law 31/1988 of the 31st Oc- tober on Protection of the Astronomical Quality of the IAC Observa- tories.

A9 Protecting the sky over the Canaries. Sky Quality Protection Technical Ofﬁce. Information leaﬂet by the OTPC listing obligatory requirements for protecting the Canary Islands’ sky.

A10 Impact of geological activity on astronomical sites of the Canary Islands. December 2010. Detailed seismological and volcanic risk assessment for the Canary Islands’ Astrophysics Observatories

A11 The European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC). June 2009. Document describing the legal framework for a new juridical format designed for the creation and operation of large European transnational scientiﬁc infrastructures

A12 Impact of building and operating the EST on the Canaries and Spain using input-output tables. February 2011. A detailed the study carried out by Dra. Elisabeth Valle Valle, from University of the Balearic Islands, looked at the impact of building and operating the EST on the economy of the Canary Islands and produced estimates for its impact on the Spanish national economy using the most recent available Input-Output tables for the Canary Islands’ and Spanish economies in 2005.

For further information please contact the Institutional Projects and Tech- nology Transfer Ofﬁce (OTRI) of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias.