  The RD51 Collaboration, in charge of the development and dissemination of
MicroPattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGD) since 2008, proposes to extend its
activity, after 2018, for a further five-year term. Since the RD51 initial
years, the community of MPGD developers and users has grown considerably. It is
reflected by the many MPGD-based applications in high energy and nuclear
physics experiments as well as in other basic and applied-research fields. They
rely on the parallel progress of detector concepts and associated technologies.
The cultural, infrastructure and networking support offered by RD51 has been
essential in this process. The rich portfolio of MPGD projects, under constant
expansion, is accompanied by novel ideas on further developments and
applications. The proposed next term of RD51 activities aims at bringing a
number of detector concepts to maturity, initiating new projects and continuing
the support to the community. Among leading proposed projects are ultrafast,
high-rate MPGDs; discharge-free, high-resolution imaging detectors with
resistive elements and high-granularity integrated electronics; novel
noble-liquid detector concepts, including electroluminescence in gas bubbles;
studies of environment-friendly counting gases and long-term sealed-mode
operation; optical-readout detectors with radiation-hard imagers for
fundamental research experiments, radiography and other domains. The proposed
R&D program is also expected to enrich our basic knowledge in detector physics,
to form a generation of young detector experts - paving the way to new detector
concepts and applications. The vast R&D program requires acquiring additional,
up-to-date expertise in advanced technologies.
