Memorandum of Understanding
for IceCube Maintenance and Operations
between

Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

(on behalf of the University of Wisconsin – Madison)
 
and the

Institutions of the IceCube Collaboration
 

May 2010

This Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) effective April 1, 2010 (“Effective Date”) is between the Institutions of the IceCube Collaboration (“Collaboration” or “Collaborating Institutions”) and the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System on behalf of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (“Host Institution”) (collectively the “Parties”). The University of Wisconsin-Madison is both a collaborating institution and the Host Institution for the centrally managed M&O activities. The purpose of this MOU is to define the relationship of the Collaboration and the Host Institution for the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) phase of the IceCube detector and to establish the distribution of responsibilities between the Parties for the execution of M&O activities. The Parties will jointly maintain and operate the IceCube detector which is located at the South Pole Station operated by the National Science Foundation (“NSF”). The Parties share the common goal of enabling the full exploitation of the IceCube detector. Exhibit 1 provides a list of the Collaboration, Institutional Leads and number of Ph.D physicists at each institution.
 
The IceCube M&O program covers the period formally beginning on April 1, 2007, and shall remain in effect while the Host Institution continues to receive NSF funding for this project. Should the NSF Ice Cube Maintenance and Operations Cooperative Agreement to the Host Institution end, the Host Institution may assign its duties and responsibilities under this MOU to another Collaborating Institution. The M&O program includes:
 

1)	maintenance and operation of the IceCube detector;
2)	maintenance, upgrades, and documentation of the software and computing support required for data analysis;
3)	the effort to ensure the integrity of the data;
4)	research and development to optimize the existing detector and to manage the technical interfaces with potential expansions of the detector;
5)	support for core central staff to ensure continuity of operations; and,
6)	general coordination of education and outreach activities.

 
The M&O program comprises all of the actions needed to maintain and operate the individual components of the IceCube detector, along with the directly relevant infrastructure and facilities, in good working order.
 
This MOU does not constitute a legal or contractual obligation on the part of either Party; however, the Parties recognize that the success of the collaboration depends on adherence to its provisions. The Parties agree to negotiate changes to this Memorandum as needed to meet the evolving requirements of the IceCube detector.
 

1.	Administration

To ensure the success of the Collaboration, the Host Institution will coordinate the overall IceCube detector M&O program. The Collaborating Institutions agree to provide relevant information on the status of M&O activities as necessary. The Host Institution agrees to make available to the Collaboration general status reports, including financial status and other major issues. The Host Institution agrees to establish and manage segregated accounts for the activities funded in common by the Collaboration (“Common Fund”).
 
The IceCube International Oversight and Finance Group (“IOFG”) is comprised of the major IceCube funding agencies and provides oversight for the IceCube M&O program. The IOFG member agencies are responsible for determining the annual funding for the M&O program, endorsing the arrangements for M&O cost sharing, monitoring and reviewing program implementation.
 
The Host Institution and the Collaboration management will report regularly to the IOFG on technical, managerial, financial and administrative matters, and on the composition of the Collaboration.
 
2. Roles and Responsibilities for Collaborating Institutions
Responsibility for M&O of the IceCube detector rests with the Collaboration as a whole and with the Host Institution. It is a fundamental principle of this agreement that each Institution within the Collaboration shall participate in maintenance and operation of the IceCube detector and contribute an equitable share to these activities. Institutions participating in construction are expected to continue to provide the scientific and technical personnel necessary to sustain the reliable operation of their original contributions. All Institutions are expected to obtain the support necessary from their funding agencies to keep the detector in good working order.
 
An Institution is considered “in good standing” if it has addressed its share for all previous years’ responsibilities. If an Institution is unable to meet its obligations, the Director of Operations will bring this to the attention of the Collaboration Spokesperson, the IceCube Collaboration Board, and the IOFG.

3. M&O Funding
Any Institution that wishes to join the Collaboration during the period of validity of this MOU will be expected to make an appropriate contribution to the M&O program on an annual basis. Collaborating Institutions must contribute to the M&O program in two ways. The first is by contributing to the IceCube Common Fund by providing a combination of cash and/or payment of invoices for Common Fund Tasks. In addition, each institution is expected to contribute its fair share of “in-kind” by completing activities agreed upon by the Collaboration.
 
The Common Fund was established through dedicated accounts at the Host Institution, which are managed by the Host Institution and monitored by the Collaboration and the IOFG. Any and all monies contributed by the Host Institution, including the funds representing Common Fund payments from the U.S. Collaborating Institutions, shall comply with all terms and conditions associated with the NSF IceCube Maintenance and Operations Cooperative Support Agreement (CSA). This includes, but is not limited to, the NSF Cooperative Agreement Financial and Administrative Terms and Conditions (FATC) and the Cooperative Agreement Supplemental Financial and Administrative Terms and Conditions-Large Facilities (FATC-LG) as referenced in the CSA. In addition, contributions by Collaborating Institutions to the Common Fund are proportional to the number of Ph.D. physicists at the Collaborating Institution.
  
In November 2009, The NSF and the IOFG agreed to support an increase in the annual contribution rate to the IceCube M&O Common Fund. Effective April 1, 2010, the rate will increase from $9,100 to $13,650 per Ph.D. author. For example, two physicists would require a contribution of $27,300 US Dollars for the period of one year.
Exhibit 1 provides the census of IceCube institutional populations as of April 1, 2010. The Collaboration shall update this census twice a year at the Collaboration meetings and use it for calculating the Common Funds Contribution. The Common Fund annual calendar starts on October 1^st and ends on September 30. When a new collaborating institution joins IceCube, the obligation to support the Common Fund is effective beginning with the next collaboration meeting. Authors of IceCube papers must be from Institutions in compliance with this MOU except as provided for in the governance document for joint publications with individuals who are not members of IceCube.
 
In-kind contributions, deliverables provided by Collaborating Institutions, Host Institution Deliverables, and Common Fund Tasks, are determined by the Collaboration twice a year at each collaboration meeting. The M&O activities identified as appropriate for support from the Common Fund are those core activities that are agreed to be of common necessity for reliable operation of the IceCube detector and computing infrastructure. The activities directly support the functions of winter over technical support at South Pole, hardware and software systems for acquiring and filtering data at the South Pole, hardware and software systems for transmitting data via satellite and tape to the UW data center, systems for archiving the data in the central data warehouse at UW and UW Data Center Operations as listed in the Cooperative Agreement with NSF. Proposed M&O tasks for the year starting on April 1^st, 2010 are listed by institution in Exhibit 2.
 
4. General Considerations
Employees from Collaborating Institutions with responsibilities that include working at the South Pole Station or other Antarctic bases or sites agree to familiarize themselves with the NSF, Office of Polar Programs’ safety and environmental policies and to adhere to these policies. All fabricated components must be designed, installed and operated in conformity with Collaborating Institution, NSF Office of Polar Programs and Host Institution safety and environmental policies and practices, engineering standards and the IceCube Quality Assurance Plan. The Host Institution will provide copies of the necessary standards and plans. All major components will undergo appropriate design, safety, and engineering reviews with oversight by the Host Institution.
 
The Collaborating Institution agrees to maintain, to the best of its ability, equipment provided for the IceCube detector so long as the Institution is a member of the Collaboration. All equipment, components, and software installed as a part of the IceCube detector and that are integral to the IceCube detector shall remain with the IceCube detector and under the auspices of the IceCube Collaboration Board unless otherwise specified.
 

5. Withdrawal or Termination

The Collaborating Institution may withdraw its support for this MOU by giving not less than a one year written notice to the Collaboration. In such an event, appropriate resolution of the Collaborating Institution’s M&O responsibilities will be negotiated by the Host Institution and ratified by the Collaboration.
 
In the event that one of the Parties commits any breach or default in any of the terms or conditions of this MOU, the Parties will make an effort to resolve the issue. If this fails, the Host Institution will send notice to the Collaboration. In such an event, appropriate resolution will be negotiated through the Collaboration, with consultation with the IOFG as appropriate.
 
6. Approvals
This Memorandum of Understanding will remain in force until the parties mutually agree to modify or terminate it.
 
The following persons are authorized by their respective Parties to approve the terms of this Memorandum of Understanding.
 
7.   Counterparts and Facsimiles
This Memorandum of Understanding may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all together shall constitute but one instrument. This Memorandum of Understanding shall be considered accepted once it has been executed by all of the parties. A signature delivered by facsimile or electronic means will be considered binding for all parties.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Memorandum of Understanding to be executed by their duly authorized representatives as of the date first set forth above.

This table lists the M&O and analysis responsibilities of each institution. For each institution, M&O activities are listed on the first line and analysis activities on the second line. All groups participate in detector operations by taking two-week shifts to monitor IceCube runs. Number of shifts is proportional to number of IceCube scientists at each institution. Administration of working groups (WG) and committees is shared by multiple institutions; only the institution of the chair of each group is indicated below. Listed activities refer specifically to the 12 months starting on April 1^st, 2010. UW M&O numbers include winter-over personnel.

 

 

 

 

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