The twin goals of this program are to promote excellence in Rubin-related research by enabling members of the three participating Science Collaboration to dedicate time to preparatory work in advance of the survey starting operations, and to ensure that research opportunities and facilities are accessible on a fair and equitable basis to all Science Collaboration members and to overcome common barriers to entry and participation.

This has been made possible by generous support from the Heising-Simons Foundation for research in galactic and Solar System science, with a particular focus on ensuring equity of opportunity, in keeping with the Foundation's goals.

This 1-year program will fund four key elements:

• Funding science publications. This includes covering the full cost of contributions to the ApJS Special Edition on LSST survey strategy for papers from ALL Rubin Science Collaborations.
• Host online workshops. This includes the costs of using online platforms.
• Provide access to software and data platforms. This includes providing access to Cloud-based computing resources.
• Small grants program. Members will be able to apply for grants to enable research and service contributions that benefit the Science Collaborations as a whole, with incentives to foster partnerships that lower barriers to entry for Rubin research.

TVS, SMWLV and SSSC hosted the following joint virtual meeting on Thursday, 29 July 2021 to present this opportunity in more detail.

Introductory session recording

Presentation slides