This is cycle number 197 at the ILL. The continued and very successful operation of the world's brightest, continuous neutron source for scientific research is only possible thanks to the highly skilled and dedicated reactor team at ILL.
The 2024-2025 inter-cycle shutdown was a busy period, with the completion of a number of large projects necessary to comply with the ever more stringent safety regulations. The carried on projects included, among many others, the installation of a new fire sprinkler system for the reactor building, the refurbishment of its polar crane, and the reinforcement of neutron guide casemates. During this shutdown, we also celebrated the official conclusion of the Endurance upgrade programme, which has enabled more than 30 important instrument and infrastructure renewal projects dramatically increasing performance and bringing ILL's suite of over 40 state-of-the-art neutron scattering instruments to its best state ever.
After nearly 10 months of work, the return of neutrons is something to celebrate! During this cycle, the ILL expects the visit of close to 650 scientific users from 28 countries who will perform over 350 experiments. We will also welcome the first so-called 'novice users in the context of the EU-funded project NEPHEWS, supporting scientists who are new to neutron scattering to come to the ILL and work alongside experienced scientists. The first four novice users come from Poland, Portugal and Ukraine, we hope more will follow in the next 2025 and 2026 cycles.
Newcomers or experienced, all scientific visitors will count on the continuous support of the ILL teams, from instrument scientists to support staff. As usual, their research covers a broad range of scientific fields - including nuclear and particle physics, physics and chemistry of materials, biology, health and more - pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and addressing societal challenges in areas such as health, energy, the environment, and information technologies.