April 21, 2026
Room to move: how proteins behave in crowded environments
Neutron scattering shows how local density shapes motion within self-assembled protein structures
France
National representatives at the ILL
Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA) &
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Representatives on the ILL Steering Committee:
Marie-Hélène MATHON | CEA
Michel GUIDAL | CNRS
Associate country since 1967
Industrial Liaison Officers
Beamtime allocation to French scientists at the ILL
Publications involving French scientists and using data from the ILL
Disciplines distribution in French beamtime requests
News corner
March 11, 2026
Designing Materials That Defy Heat Flow
Linking simple physical rules, machine learning and neutron spectroscopy to discover crystals with record-low thermal conductivity
Feb. 26, 2026
How neutron science helps make blood tests more reliable
Blood-based biomarkers are widely used to diagnose and monitor diseases through simple blood tests. However, in some cases they can be partially “hidden” and harder to detect accurately. Researchers investigated, with molecular accuracy, how biomarkers interact with lipid membranes using neutron reflectometry at the ILL.
Dec. 15, 2025
Life in the cold: how microbes thrive - and die - at extreme temperatures
A new study based on neutrons provides valuable insights into the thermal vulnerability of different bacterial families. It shows that organisms adapted to very low temperatures are also surprisingly fragile: even a slight rise in temperature can be lethal, long before any structural damage appears.
Oct. 21, 2025
Extreme situations call for extreme molecules
Bacteria can be surprisingly resistant - neutron-based techniques show why.
Oct. 21, 2025
€1.8 million invested to modernise two key instruments for European research
The ILL strengthens its research capabilities by modernising two key instruments (D11 and NeXT-MoTo) to address major challenges in health, energy transition and sustainable technologies. Supported by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region and the European Union, this project represents a €1.8 million investment under the CPER EPN 2030 (State-Region Plan Contract).