• H2020
• Excellent Science

A project focusing on widening the use of neutron science has won €12m in funding from Horizon 2020.

The ‘Science and Innovation with Neutrons in Europe for 2020’ (SINE2020) project aims to help the continent prepare for future opportunities available as part of the European Spallation Source (ESS). According to the ESS, which is one of the partners involved, another goal is creating ‘innovation potential of neutron scattering at large scale facilities’.

These objectives will be realised through ‘developing new and improved services through an holistic approach, including outreach and education, samples, instrumentation and software’, says the organisation. The venture is being co-ordinated by the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble, France, and a further 17 partners are involved in the four-year project.

Commenting, Mark Johnson, a physicist at the ILL and co-ordinator of SINE2020, said: “A focus is placed on attracting industry to neutron scattering facilities and adopting a common approach in services, such as software for data treatment, to facilitate the production of scientific results. Such developments will make facilities more accessible by providing a common framework from which all users will benefit.”

With nearly 10,000 users, Europe is home to the largest neutron scattering user community in the world.