Global Collaboration on Science and Technology, 1993–2006

Global collaboration from concept to SKA construction can be separated into four distinct phases. The first, the “Grass-roots” Phase from 1993 to early 2006, began with the URSI Large Telescope Working Group (LTWG) and various national design efforts working in conjunction. By 1999, interest had grown around the world to the point when a global Steering Committee was formed to take the project forward. At the end of this Phase in 2005, Funding Agencies began, collectively, to become involved in the SKA, and this heralded the start of the second phase of collaboration from 2006 to 2011, the “Transition Phase” to a legal entity for the SKA. The Transition Phase led into the Pre-Construction Phase from 2011 to 2021, and subsequently the Construction Phase. In this chapter, we trace the evolution of the governance structures in the Grass-Roots Phase, discuss the triggers that led to the changes, and outline the main activities of, and issues faced by, the governing entities in this first phase of the SKA project.