Page 279 - Neutrons for Sciences and Society

Appendixes
being to equivalent to about 72% of a full one-third share of the capital cost. If the SRC joined ILL, France and Germany would agree, for a number of years to be determined, to undertake high flux neutron beam research only in collaboration with the UK. If, during that period, it were decided to build a second reactor jointly, that reactor would be in UK.
The French and German representatives recognised that the decision of how best to provide high flux neutron beam facilities posed severe problems for the UK. They therefore indicated that if, having joined the ILL, the SRC still wished to carry out the design study of the HFBR, they might be willing to adjust the rate of payment of the annual contribution towards the capital costs of Grenoble reactor. This might enable the capital contribution in 1972 and 1973 at a lower rate than 13 Mfrancs a year.
The SRC appreciated the proposals described in (b) and (c) but, as became clear after the recess, the funds available for the UK programme were
not sufficient to enable the SRC to become a partner in ILL and also to collaborate with the AEA in pursuing the HFBR proposal.
Professor Maier-Leibnitz suggested that the possibility of converting the ILL into a widely based european organisation like CERN should be examined. Such an arrangement could help to resolve the SRC financial problem
but both French and German representatives considered that it would be impraticable to widen the collaboration to such an extent.
As at earlier meetings, neither the french nor german representatives were authorised to discuss the SRC request for information about possible financial arrangements under which British scientists could be permitted
to carry out an approved programme on the Grenoble reactor. The SRC had in mind the possible use of up to about 10% of the capacity under such arrangements.
The meeting ended without our being able to see a way to achieve a joint european programme which would satisfy the different requirements of France and Germany on one hand and the UK on the other. We therefore
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