Research Facilities Committee
The Research Facilities Committee (RFC) acts as a communication channel between researchers and the Technical Group (TG), the Directorate, and Operations, to help ensure an optimal setup for supporting research at the institute. Each department and independent research group have a representative on the RFC.
Tasks
- We recommend improvements to procedures e.g. to do with fieldwork equipment or access to experimental facilities.
- We are consulted when inter-departmental infrastructure is bought or updated, such as IT hardware, software, meeting room setup, experimental facilities, and equipment.
- We help to identify solutions, wherever possible, which are widely useful and applicable across multiple departments and groups.
- We assess the TG itemised budget and activity plan in relation to the priorities of researchers.
- Our minutes are passed to the Directorate who decide on our recommendations.
Please let your RFC representative know when you:
- Have a suggestion for improving the way an aspect of our institute's IT/infrastructure/facilities can be run or organised.
- Are having difficulties with an aspect of our shared IT/infrastructure/facilities.
- If you have a suggestion for the purchase of new software or equipment, you should first talk to your director/group leader. If they agree, they will inform their RFC representative.
What not to raise via the RFC:
- IT issues affecting your own projects specifically, which are better raised directly with the TG helpdesk in the first instance.
Representatives
If you have anything you would like to bring up via the RFC, please contact your representative or the committee chair:
- Antje Meyer (Directorate)
- Reiner Dirksmeyer (Technical Group)
- Jasper Bok (Language & Genetics Department)
- Cedric Gertzen (Operation)
- Anniek Corporaal (Communications)
- Patricia Manko (Language Development Department)
- Sourena Soheili-Nezhad (Language and Genetics Department)
- Orhun Uluşahin (Psychology of Language Department)
- Edoardo Gornetti (Language and Computation in Neural Systems)
- Esam Ghaleb (Multimodal Language Department)
- Maarten van den Heuvel (Technical Group)
The RFC meets four times per year, usually in the week before the staff meeting.