28 



DISCUSSION 



Mr. FuQUA. Thank you very much, Dr. Weisskopf, for a very in- 

 teresting and thought-provoking commentary about some of our in- 

 volvement in international cooperation. I think we all recognize 

 the importance, particularly in the basic research areas, that we 

 can cooperate and still be competitive in the marketplace in goods 

 and services that our various countries will produce. 



I was intrigued by your comment that as we look, and I am not 

 really speaking of SSC but other big science — it could be in fusion 

 or the Space Station or some of those — that maybe the host country 

 provides the facility and then have what is a break from norm, 

 which is to have a user fee for those that use it. I think that is a 

 novel idea. It seems to solve a lot of the problems. 



We were visiting recently with one of the science ministers in 

 Europe. He said one of the biggest problems with international co- 

 operation in science is the location, and that cooperation in space 

 did not provide that problem. But when you were talking about 

 ground facilities, then certain countries would insist that it be in 

 their continent or their country, and I guess our own national 

 pride of the various countries is involved. 



Do you think that would be — you mentioned this briefly, but the 

 fact of having user fees? 



Dr. Weisskopf. That is a very interesting question. So far, there 

 is very little user fee. For example, if an American group comes to 

 CERN, it gets service. Indeed, I should say the budgets are roughly 

 equal in Europe and here, but Europe has only IV2 laboratories, 

 namely CERN and Hamburg, whereas we have here more than 

 three, and therefore they have more money available for services. 

 But this is free, and all they do is pay for the small instrumenta- 

 tion. 



In case, as I have sort of proposed once, for example, the SSC is 

 built and then opened for international exploitation, I think per- 

 haps new rules should be introduced, and it may even be, in a way, 

 an international administration of the experiments where people 

 pay for the beam in some way. It could be divided up according to 

 whatever is necessary. 



Now, I believe that may develop. At present it is not so. At 

 present, people get it sort of free, except if they bring their instru- 

 ments in. 



Mr. FuQUA. Except there is reciprocity, though. We have Europe- 

 ans that come to, say, Brookhaven. 



Dr. Weisskopf. Yes, exactly. 



Mr. FuQUA. We have American scientists who go to CERN, and 

 there is an interchange between them. 



Dr. Weisskopf. Absolutely. The Europeans mostly go to Fermilab 

 or SLAC, but some are also in Brookhaven. Exactly, there is a reci- 

 procity. But now, if there is, however, one especially expensive in- 

 stitution like the SSC, I think the reciprocity may no longer be 



Mr. FuQUA. Because the operating costs would be, as you pointed 

 out, very expensive. 



Dr. Weisskopf. Yes, that is right. 



Mr. FuQUA. It would not be like operating on a much smaller 

 machine. 



