New partnerships and Scientific Members event

On 24-25 September, ILL organised a workshop with prospective Scientific Member countries to explore new partnerships. 26 participants from 13 countries attended the event.

As an international research facility, the ILL is continuously trying to expand the neutron community and reach out to new member states. The new partnership with Canada is an excellent example of this effort, and it is hoped that Kazakhstan will become a Scientific Member from 2027. In addition, ILL will work with prospective members over the next two years to strengthen the neutron user community in their countries and to establish further contracts for the period 2029 and beyond.

Having engaged with about 20 countries based on previous contacts and their recent use of ILL (allowed within the ‘two-thirds’ access rule), 15 countries responded positively and 13 countries were able to participate in the workshop at ILL, supported by international staff members from 8 of the countries. The event involved presentations of ILL by the directors, key input from the participants about the involvement of their countries in international research infrastructures, and round table discussions. A visit to showcase ILL was also organised, taking in the reactor, the guide halls, the sample environment workshops and the Partnership for Soft Condensed Matter.

Overall, the event was very positive and there is a collective enthusiasm to explore and work towards scientific membership. With each prospective member, ILL intends to sign a Memorandum of Intent, establishing the commitment of both parties and the actions to be undertaken, such as outreach events in the countries and engagement with funding agencies.