Institut Laue-Langevin

ESS and ILL start joint R&D in neutron science

Today, 26th September, the European Spallation Source and the ILL initiate an extensive collaboration for research and development activities within neutron science.

In a Memorandum of Understanding agreed on today, ILL and ESS set the framework for the future cooperation, which aims at developing joint scientific and technological projects. The ESS will be a world-leading centre for materials research with neutrons and will host the world’s most powerful neutron source. The ILL is an international research centre operating the most intense steady neutron source in the world, and has been the world-leading centre for neutron science and the development of neutron instrument technology for more than 40 years, generating scientific output of high quality.

"It is a great moment when ESS and ILL now will join forces. As a former Director of ILL, I am particularly pleased. I am convinced that ESS and ILL will be able to drive neutron science forward together, and strengthen European science overall," says Colin Carlile, ESS Director-General.

This collaboration will also allow ESS as a European project to take benefit from ILL’s leading role in neutron science. The scientific collaboration will cover joint development of neutron scattering instrumentation, beam-line components and neutron optics, as well as development of detector technologies. It will also include joint hosting and organizing of scientific and technical meetings involving the science community.

"I am convinced that the future extensive collaboration between ILL and ESS will be a major step towards maintaining the pre-eminent role of Europe in neutron science well beyond 2020, and helping to meet the grand challenges of our society, "explains Richard Wagner, director of the ILL.

Thanks to Marianne Ekdahl

The ESS site in Lund, Sweden