First, please accept my condolences on the death of your King, which is undoubtedly on your minds.
However, I do want to share some positive news with you. The GOTO steering group met yesterday to discuss NARIT's offer, and I am pleased to be able to say that the group agreed unanimously to go forwards with your offer. We are excited to use your investment and contribution to push GOTO to the next phase in the near future.
I have attached the current research agreement that all active partners signed. While I believe this will not fit your needs in detail, it could be a useful starting point. The consortium has a steering committee and if NARIT joins, you would have a seat on that so you can have a full involvement in future decisions. We also currently do not restrict the activities that individual partners can participate in, and all parties have access to the data. We do of course want to make sure contributions are sensibly organised, but in our agreement things are flexible. We propose that our arrangement with you is along the same lines.
There were a few points we would like clarification on related to these:
* 250k equipment contribution
We understand that NARIT would need to purchase equipment directly from this contribution and then send it to La Palma. The bulk of this would go towards 4 telescopes and instruments, but given the lead time on these and the fact that we would like to test the 1st 4 telescopes on sky first, the orders would likely best be placed early 2017, and the equipment itself arrive much later in 2017. Would this be compatible with your time window by which funds have to be spent? IT placing the order sufficient, or do goods need to be received?
Separately, we need to identify how to handle this within the agreement/MoU as currently Warwick has purchased all equipment and legally is the owner and the liable party responsible for the La Palma installation (see clause 3 in the agreement). Clearly, the current wording is not going to be compatible with you purchasing the equipment and owning it.
* 50k contribution
This cash contribution is very similar to contributions other parties have made to us, using the attached agreement. Warwick would then invoice you for this, but would need a 'research agreement'. Perhaps the current research agreement could work for your 50k direct contribution, even if it doesn't cover the equipment discussed above?
* access
- would NARIT expect access to cover the whole Thai community, or only those directly affiliated with NARIT?
- what type of data access would you require, our current plan is to have a UK data centre, and likely also a full copy in Australia
Thanks again for your offer and looking forward to sorting out the practicalities so we can sign suitable agreements and formally welcome you as part of GOTO. Do let me know if you have any questions from your end at this point. I have not yet engaged with official contract staff as I thought it would be useful to first informally discuss how we can best make these arrangements and avoid complex contract negotiations if we can.