Help influence the range of instruments at ESS

– This is an opportunity to contribute to the process of selecting new instruments, which could be built in the future and complement the 15 currently under construction. Perhaps researchers, both from academia and industry, are missing something crucial for their field of science in the existing instrument portfolio? says Giovanna Fragneto, Science Director at European Spallation Source, ESS.

The goal is for ESS to have as complete a range of instruments as possible and offer enough capacity to meet the needs of European neutron users in the coming decades. ESS will have a very powerful neutron source which should be used by as many instruments as possible in order to exploit efficiently the facility and optimise the return on investment.

– Developing an instrument usually takes several years, from idea to use. In currently running facilities can easily take eight years or more. For new innovative ideas, and with a new facility like ESS, it can take even longer, so we need to start the process of enlarging the suite of instruments now. As researchers, getting involved early is a way to influence the process and get the tools and methods you need.

The deadline for submitting comments on the ESS instrument Roadmap is February 2026.

– We welcome all ideas that help ensure that ESS covers all scientific and technical areas that the different users need in the future. This could be in areas identified in the past like particle physics or spin echo or any other scientific and technological field that would meet the needs of the community, concludes Giovanna Fragneto.

Read more on ESS's website: Call for Input to the ESS Instrument Roadmap External link.