South Africans encouraged to participate in SKA

"The SKA is an iconic and global science project and we are excited to be able to assist local industry and institutions with appropriate skills in participation in the initial design phase," said Dr Jasper Horrell, general manager: science computing and innovation at SKA SA.

"This involvement should serve to strengthen the global competitiveness of local organisations in high tech domains, focused on the SKA, but extending beyond radio astronomy," he said.

Expressions of Interest are invited from registered South African organisations wishing to participate as partners in the SKA South Africa response to the Request for Proposal for the Pre-Construction Phase of the SKA project.

Financial assistance for local organisations is being targeted in the areas of Dishes, Central Signal Processor (correlator/beamformer), Science Data Processor and Signal & Data Transport and Synchronisation & Timing.

Instructions for registering interest and pre-qualification application forms for financial assistance are available from public.ska.ac.za/industry. Organisations must respond before 17h00 on 22 April 2013 (SAST).

SKA South Africa will facilitate the introduction of programme partners into the appropriate work package consortia.

The International Square Kilometre Array Organisation (SKAO) issued a Request for Proposals (RfP) during March 2013 for participation in the SKA Pre-Construction Phase (until 2016).

Formal responses are due by 10 June 2013.

View details of the RfP call.