Page 109 - ILL Annual Report 2019

IN ORDER to maintain their ranking at an international
level, European research institutes must optimise their resources and develop synergies at every level. The ILL is located in the so called ‘EPN campus’ which hosts other major European institutes—such as the ESRF and EMBL, as well as France's IBS—providing a genuine hub for international science in the Grenoble region.
The ILL is firmly committed not only to building high-performance instruments, but also to offering the best scientific environment for the user community. We have also established successful collaborations with neighbouring institutes over the years and launched successful scientific and support partnerships.
The history of the ILL is one of European collaboration, and today the Institute is involved in no fewer than nine different projects funded by the European Commission. The benefits are not merely financial; the ILL also benefits from associated networks and resources, which improve its integration with other facilities and the user community. The ILL is currently the co-ordinator and sole beneficiary of FILL2030 (with a grant of 4 M€).
As the SINE2020 project—of which we were also the co-ordinator—comes to an end, we are also close to the end of the Horizon 2020 framework programme. The funding schemes in the new Horizon Europe programme are still to be defined.
The EU provides not only financial support but also a framework for collaboration and synergy; several existing networks have benefitted so far, and this must continue
if future neutron and muon communities in Europe are
to thrive. Europe’s neutron facilities are now building on recent experiences of collaboration (NMI3 and SINE2020) with the launch of LENS, the League of advanced European Neutron Sources. This initiative will nurture the environment required for sustainable collaboration.
Local collaboration is equally important. ILL has started together with the ESRF, InnovaXN—a doctoral training programme bringing together the expertise of large- scale research infrastructures with the R&D needs of European industry. This project will allow us to train young researchers in advanced synchrotron X-ray and neutron techniques in an international, innovative and multidisciplinary environment.
Last but not least, the ILL is committed to training and outreach, providing this in many different forms.
Whilst the ILL Graduate School and PhD programme are now training future generations of neutron users, we also run neutron schools and other events for MSc and PhD students. In addition, our open days and annual contributions to the local science festival help attract young talent to science and improve the general public’s understanding of the science we perform.
MORE THAN SIMPLY NEUTRONS
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© C. Tesca
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