Avalon Research & Design Group

Avalon Group
Affiliation(s)	United Federation of Planets Starfleet Fourth Fleet Fourth Fleet Advanced Research & Design Bureau
Headquarters	Avalon Fleet Yards
Primary Mission	Research & Development
Location	Avalon System
Motto	macte virtute sic itur ad astra
Status	Active
Template:Organisation

The Avalon Group of the Fourth Fleet Advanced Research & Design Bureau encompasses dozens of different Institutes and hundreds of different projects taking place at Avalon Fleet Yards and across the Avalon System. Meant to be the tip of the spear in scientific, engineering, and medical research for the Fourth Fleet, this group’s interdisciplinary and highly collaborative nature brings the best and the brightest minds together to solve problems and develop innovations.

Leadership

The Avalon Group is led formally by the Commander of Avalon Fleet Yards, though their day-to-day oversight of the group is minimal. Day-to-day decisions are made by individual institute, project, and team leaders. The leaders of institutes and independent projects meet regularly as the Avalon Group Board to share status updates and make collective decisions about allocating space and resources to each of their projects. The Avalon Group Board is chaired by either the Commander or Deputy Commander of Avalon Fleet Yards. In turn the Avalon Group reports to the Fourth Fleet Advanced Research and Design Bureau, with individual institutes and projects also reporting to the appropriate Starfleet Science, Starfleet Engineering, and/or Starfleet Medical Bureaus.

Organization

The Avalon Group is divided into institutes, projects, and teams, all of which are interdisciplinary research and development units. Institutes are multi-project teams that occupy a dedicated shore facility or several full levels aboard a station or research module. Projects are either sub-units of institutes or smaller independent research teams, which have several interconnected lab facilities. Teams are either sub-units of projects or institutes or are new initiatives in their early stages of formation under the Avalon Group, typically having just one lab or similar facility. The leaders of institutes, projects, and teams must regularly meet with one another to share ideas and resources, as well as status updates.

Institutes

Institutes are large, multi-project teams that encompass either their own planetary facilities or a major research module on one of Avalon’s many space stations. Institutes are led by fleet captains and above and often consist of a half-dozen or more projects with hundreds of scientists, engineers, and/or doctors.

Institute for Experimental Rehabilitative Medicine (IERM)

The Institute for Experimental Rehabilitative Medicine (IERM) is a medical research agency within the Avalon Group of the Fourth Fleet Advanced Research & Design Bureau. Led by Admiral Linda Knox-Stanton, this institute was founded to explore new therapies to help patients recover physically, emotionally, and spiritually from traumatic injuries. Occupying a complex within Sato City on Avalon III, the Institute has in-patient facilities for two-hundred patients who are participating in about a dozen different research projects.

Genetronic Nanocybernetics Project

The Genetronic Nanocybernetics Project (Codename: Hephaestus) is a project operating under the auspices of the Institute for Experimental Rehabilitative Medicine to study the combination of genetronic replication and nano-scale cybernetics to treat patients with severe spinal cord injuries. Started after his success with a procedure conducted on the Risian Lieutenant Zaos Sarcaryn, this project is being led by Captain Alenis Anjar.

Nanocybernetics Team

The Nanocybernetics Team is one of the teams under Project Hephaestus, developing nano-scale cybernetics that can help regenerate or replace the connections between nerves. Primarily an engineering team rather than a medical team, this team has experts in cybernetics, nanotechnology, and microphysics. It is led by Lieutenant Commander X.

Institute of the History of Starfleet Warfare

The Institute of the History of Starfleet Warfare (IHSW) is a historical research agency within the Avalon Research & Design Bureau. This institute was founded to further research and analysis of the history of Starfleet conflicts, dating back to the period immediately before the Federation’s founding. The IHSW occupies a complex in Sato City, where it conducts and manages archival and archaeological research, historical analysis, and museology. Its projects each take an interdisciplinary approach to assigned eras of history, with teams providing expertise in their respective disciplines. The IHSW studies historical Starfleet conflicts to understand how to avoid potential future ones, considering strategy, tactics, and technology, but also the role of Starfleet's organisational policy, psychology, and culture.

Dominion War Project

The Dominion War Project is an historical research project operating under the Institute of the History of Starfleet Warfare to gather and maintain records and conduct analysis of the Dominion War of the 2370s. As this is a conflict that occurred within living memory even of humans, the project's work includes gathering records from multiple governments and organisations, as well as recording lived experiences of survivors. The Dominion War is considered the most catastrophic in Federation history, and a significant portion of the project's focus includes understanding how and why this inter-quadrant conflict became intra-quadrant, intending to shape future Federation foreign policy to avert similar events.

Independent Research Projects

There are many research projects under the Avalon Group that do not report to an insitute, often because the project is still at an early stage and it will later mature into an institute once initial research has been completed. These independent projects may also have affiliations with more than one institute, thus making them better suited to remain independent. Projects are led by commanders and captains, and can consist of several dozen scientists, engineers, and/or doctors.

Independent Research Teams

As with independent research projects, some research teams under the Avalon Group are not part of any one project or institute, either because their work is still in its early stages or because their work is affiliated with more than one project. They may later mature into projects of their own. Teams are led by lieutenants and lieutenant commanders.

The Avalon Group In-Play

• The Avalon Group was created as a way of allowing members to write higher ranking characters with important research assignments that might not fit into either Starbase Bravo or into their personal commands. Indeed, it's not particularly logical for characters higher than fleet captain to be regularly assigned to field operations, so these characters need a home for when those members are no longer on staff. The purpose of this component of Avalon Fleet Yards is thus to allow you to write content that deals with politics, bureaucracy, and higher-level concepts, rather than the slice-of-life theme on Starbase Bravo.
• As explained in the Avalon Fleet Yards Guide, you are allowed to write up to your fleet rank in the Avalon Group, with larger teams becoming available to you at the ranks of lieutenant, commander, and fleet captain. For instance, as a fleet captain you can have your own "Institute" while at lieutenant you can have your own "team."
• Teams fit into projects which fit into Institutes, but Teams and Institutes can also be independent. You can grow your team into a project and then into an institute as you increase in rank. You can also speak to the members who have institutes to see if it would be OK with them to add your team or project to their institute. Many folks would be happy to have you!
• Most of the research facilities are located either on Avalon III or one of the Avalon Fleet Yards stations in orbit. Generally speaking, researchers will live either on Brahms Station or on Sato City and commute via shuttle or transporter, so members of the Avalon Group will have plenty of opportunities to socialize even if their workplaces are spread out.
• There are always reasons to work with researchers in other teams, projects, and institutes, as science is inherently collaborative. Maybe you have a friendly rivalry with someone else in a similar discipline and you're competing for resources. Maybe they have a piece of equipment that's hard for you to acquire and you need to convince them to share. Maybe they have expertise that you lack. The possibilities are many.