The availability of an equipment or a system to be used to enable or
support the scientific research work depends on the equipment / system
reliability and the maintenance / logistical support necessary to keep it
in a functional state.
Both, high reliability and maintenance / logistical support are main
cost drivers in the equipment / system life cycle, and - if not
perfectly tuned - may reduce the overall funding for the scientific
research program in an unacceptable way.