General Info

EIC Project R&D - Overview

Project R&D supports innovative and critical conceptual designs by prototyping of components. The initial design process with calculations, simulations and layouts is only one element and means to achieve the maturity required to carry out preliminary and final design and eventually construction of the project scope elements. The focus of the R&D projects is to demonstrate a solution to the fundamental challenges. 

Project R&D is focused on the needs of the project to advance to manufacturing the novel and challenging system components. R&D may be viewed as a complementary to the design activities (PED) by building prototypes of critical and novel components. The construction of prototypes may include conceptual, preliminary, and final designs of the specific prototypes, which are similar (but not necessarily identical) to the final detector.  

R&D projects may be based or lean on the available results of more generic research, within or beyond the project R&D scope. As the deliverable of the R&D, the prototype device or parts should target on reduce the gap between the state of art solution and the design goal of the project and facilitate production development. The R&D should have a scope which is well-matched to the EIC project requirement, and a focused schedule aligned with the overall project timeline. 

The Project R&D program started in FY22. Other than past and ongoing generic detector R&D programs, this is not a competitive process as it addresses only detector components that are baselined in the project detector, ePIC.

Project R&D Plan

Current EIC Project R&D plan (pdf)

• Please note:
  • This R&D plan is close but not fully in line with ongoing design efforts for the project detector ePIC. At the moment it is still based on the CD-1/CDR setup. Once the baseline of ePIC is fully defined the plan will be updated and adjusted.
  • The numbers in the table "costs and schedule” to fund the deliverables and milestone to mitigate risk  should be considered as “ball park” guidance. Groups requesting project R&D should put together a cost plan based on their best knowledge at the time.

Procedures and Instructions for Project R&D

The R&D coordinators/CAMs in collaboration with the associate directors for the experimental program select projects for each FY that

• meet the criteria mentioned above,
• received strong endorsement from the Detector Advisory Committee (DAC),
• are well aligned with the R&D priorities presented at the CD-1 review.

These are the projects that will be supported by this program. They are asked to submit a concise and comprehensive proposal. The groups are encouraged to invite all relevant personnel to join the effort and appoint a contact person. The groups are expected to be inclusive and integrate new groups.

Each group will need to compile a proposal for the upcoming FY in which they intend to be conducting R&D. This proposal needs to include detailed milestones, timelines, workforce, and other needs of their efforts. If applicable, it also should contain a status report and summary of R&D conducted in the previous FY as well as a preview of their planned efforts in the next-to-next FY. The R&D should focused on the needs of the project to advance the manufacturing of novel and challenging system components.

After the proposals are submitted the EIC project R&D coordinators might request a meeting with some of the proponents to discuss the proposed R&D plan and suggest changes if needed. The associate directors for the experimental program are typically present in most meetings. All received proposals are to be presented in a DAC meeting that takes place typically few weeks after the deadline. When the funding decisions are made, response letters will be send to the proponents to inform them about their level of funding.

The projects will be annually reviewed by the DAC and their efforts will be closely monitoried by the R&D Tech. Reps. and the Project Management.

Current and Past Project R&D

Preparation Meeting: DAC Meeting March 2021

FY22

• Call for Proposals: August 13, 2021
• Deadline: August 31, 2021
• Meetings: Individual meetings with projects.

FY23

• Call for Proposals: July 21, 2022
• Deadline: October 1, 2022
• Meetings: DAC meeting October 19-21, 2022

FY24

• TBD