Page 248 - Neutrons for Sciences and Society

Neutrons for Science
was rather constant at between 500 and 600 publications recorded annually, over the period from 1980. The “bump” around 1995 reflects the major shut-down of 1991-94 when ILL users and ILL scientists concentrated on the publication of previously acquired data. The cumulative total reached 20,000 some 40 years after the reactor start-up.
The ILL has maintained its position as the world leader
in neutron science for more than 40 years. As well as the exceptional reactor, outstanding personnel, and the advantages (and difficulties) of being a service institute, there are three
main reasons for this success. First, the international nature
of the ILL: scientists from more than 30 countries bring their different expertise and experience to bear on outstanding scientific problems. Second, the remarkable local scientific environment
of the ILL (CEA, CNRS, ESRF, EMBL, UGA, ...)138 has led
to a wide range of fertile scientific interactions. Third, and by
no means least, the long-term financial “loyalty” of the three Associate countries – France, Germany and the UK – and the commitment of the Scientific Member countries, has allowed the ILL to make long-range scientific plans and to weather the major (and minor) difficulties that have arisen.
Changes in the planning and nuclear regulatory framework mean that it would not be possible today to design and build
such a research facility as rapidly as was the case of the ILL. Nevertheless, the extensive reconstruction and additional security
138 CEA: Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, CNRS: Centre National de la Re- cherche Scientifique, ESRF: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, EMBL: European Molecular Biology Laboratory, UGA: Grenoble-Alpes University.
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