Norwegian membership fee to ORFEUS

ORFEUS (Observatories and Research Facilities for EUropean Seismology) is a non-profit foundation that aims at co-ordianation of digital broadband seismology in the Euro-Mediterranean area. It gathers and provides seismological waveform data to the scient ific community through its data center. It has a central role in co-ordinating European seismology through its working groups on seismological station siting, technical support, mobile networks and software database. In addition, it is a driving force to promote and co-ordinate European seismology through EU-funded networking projects in which NORSAR in particular is an important and active partner. ORFEUS depends for its functionning of financial contributions from member countries. Norway has been a mem ber of ORFEUS since its foundation in 1990. Membership was paid from 1990 to 1993, but suspended from 1994 to 1998. Considering the importance of ORFEUS for Norwegian seismology, NORSAR, UiB and UiO resumed payment from 1999 to 2003 by sharing the fee bet ween them but without having especially dedicated funds. From 2004 to present, the fee has been paid by NFR project number 159772/V30. The present application is to ensure continued payment of the annual Norwegian fee to ORFEUS by securing dedicated funds . The fee will be 4565,- euros for the three coming years.