The Lab is obviously a separate entity, but there's a permeable barrier there. Their help gives us a real edge in photon processing and in lasers. Although ARC's four partner universities have made clear progress in participating in joint ventures, Manos concedes that articulating a common vision is more difficult. The quartet is still working to find the right balance between competition and cooperation. You don't want to end up with a cast of prima donnas, and you sure don't want a bunch of wallflowers waiting for someone else to take the initiative.
Any organization tries to find the right balance between the two extremes.
Federal government contracts may be one means of involving all of the ARC partners. Such agreements now account for half of the Center's business, up from one-third earlier this year. Efforts are underway to identify common areas of interest and ways the Center may be able to provide expert assistance locally. Ideally, says Manos, the Center will sustain itself with a mix of private and public-sector projects as alliances forged in the present develop and enlarge in the future. Ground should be broken in the next two years for the first of several phases of the long-planned Jefferson Research Park.