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Polish participation in the construction of SALT
History of Polish involvement in the construction of SALT (Southern African Large Telescope) began on March 11, 1999. On this day, the Committee of Astronomy Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) passed a resolution supporting the Polish accession to the international consortium building the telescope. SALT is located in the South African Astronomical Observatory in Sutherland on Karoo plateau. It is a much improved version of the HET telescope, which has already started working at McDonald Observatory in Texas. The share of the costs of installing and operating SALT provides access to 10% of the telescope time to the Polish astronomers.
On 25 November 1999 in Pretoria, the Chairman of the Committee for Scientific Research Professor Andrzej Wiszniewski signed agreement between the governments of the Polish Republic and the Republic of South Africa on scientific and technical cooperation. The Protocol to the Agreement states: Poland will finance the amount of US$2.5 million from the pool of the Committee for Scientific Research to build SALT, and in proportion to co-finance its maintenance.
The agreement entered into force after resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 16/2000 of Feb 29, 2000. The decision to fund a project by KBN was influenced by the declaration of additional funding for the project. The total amount of USD 385 000 was declared by Polish scientific institutions: the Jagiellonian University in Krakow University, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Centre for Astronomy of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and Nicolaus Copernicus Center, Polish Academy of Sciences (CAMK PAN) in Warsaw.
CAMK was selected as the coordinator of Polish participation in the SALT project.
On October 23, 2001 CAMK signed the SALT Foundation Shareholders agreement (http://www.salt.ac.za/about/). According to this agreement Polish side sent 2.5 million USD from KBN grants and 220 thousand USD from Polish astronomical institutions in June 2005.
The SALT Telescope Foundation in Poland has been established to manage the founds declared by the Polish institutions. On July 19, 2001 notarial deed was signed for the establishment of the SALT Foundation in Poland. Have constituted also The Foundation Council, Board of Members and Council of Members.
On 16 October 2001. SALT Telescope Foundation in Poland was registered in the District Court. City Of Warsaw, XX Commercial Division of the National Court Register under the number KRS 0000053350.
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