National collaboration to maximise the benefit to Sweden of ESS and MAX IV

operated together with

Vinnova

The European Spallation Source, ESS, and MAX IV in Lund are two of the world’s most advanced research facilities. The Office for ESS/MAX IV is operated jointly by the Swedish Research Council and Vinnova, and is tasked to maximise Swedish benefit from the facilities.

Activity
17 October 2024
ESS/MAX IV Summit 2024
How can ESS and MAX IV strengthen the Swedish life science and medtech sectors? That question is in focus at this year's ESS/MAX IV Summit in Mölndal.
News
13 February 2023
New Swedish projects at ESS
The Swedish Research Council is funding in-kind deliveries from Swedish universities to ESS...
Publication
21 November 2022
Diversity in use broadens the benefits of ESS
ESS, and MAX IV, are strategically very important for Swedish research and innovation, and for strengthening our role as one of the world's foremost knowledge nations...
News
25 April 2022
Swedish investments in ESS are producing good effects
Swedish companies have done well in the competition for orders from ESS, and thousands of jobs have been created in Sweden and the EU because of the facility...
Publication
2 January 2017
European Spallation Source – a world-leading tool for research, education and innovation
ESS (European Spallation Source) is a multi-disciplinary research facility built outside Lund...
More news about ESS and MAX IV

Be an AMBER Postdoc!

The AMBER - Advanced Multiscale Biological imaging with European Research infrastructures - postdoc programme has been assembled for the exploitation and development of large-scale European infrastructures to address key needs for biological imaging over length scales from molecular, through cellular, to tissue, organ and organism levels of organisation.

It brings together a wide range of competence including clinical practitioners, biological and biomedical scientists, physical scientists, and facility / infrastructure scientists.

Application period is 14 June to 6 September - read more and apply here! External link.

The future for synchrotron light user organizations is bright

The question of the current role of the user organizations and their ability to increase the value for Swedish researchers was central when representatives of the synchrotron light organizations met in October 2023. The conversation partly highlighted the lack of contact between these organizations and the users today, especially the researchers who have not yet discovered the benefits of to use MAX IV as a tool in their research. The discussion on MAX IV's role focused on the need for facilities such as MAX IV to act to facilitate communication between user organizations and researchers.

  • For us at MAX IV, a broadened Swedish use of our radiation tubes is important, says Olof Karis, director at MAX IV. Sweden has invested in a world-leading research facility and the more researchers from academia and industry who use our techniques, the better. We look forward to a clearer connection between the user organizations and MAX IV, it is needed to increase communication with the researchers.

Several of the participants in the meeting believed that a national user organization should act as a channel to represent the needs of the user community vis-à-vis both facilities and funders.

Participants also discussed the lack of content on the FASM and SSUO websites. In order to increase commitment and clarity in the user organizations, a more explicit division of tasks between the organizations and clearer communication with the users was proposed. To optimize the flow of information, measures such as sending newsletters and using conferences and meetings to reach users were suggested. It was also discussed to use the DUO system for member recruitment and to create clear incentives for membership.

The discussion concluded that clearer structures and more active communication are needed to strengthen the user organizations and increase their influence. To increase awareness of the user organizations, a follow-up via e-mail was proposed to involve more participants and gather volunteers for board positions, mainly in SSUO. Interest in reviving the SSUO was discussed and there was clear support for doing so.

  • We have done extensive and successful work to probe the interest in an expanded board in SSUO, says Derek Logan, chairman of SSUO's board. On January 15, 2024, at FASM's and SSUO's annual meeting at MAX IV's user meeting, a new board was elected with representation from Lund University, Stockholm University, Uppsala University and Linköping University, and now we look forward to restarting operations.

SNSS (Swedish Neutron Scattering Society) is also looking forward to a close collaboration with FASM and SSUO.

  • MAX IV and ESS will offer unique opportunities for science in the coming years. A coherent strategy for neutron and synchrotron research and close cooperation between the user organizations will make it possible for Swedish society to make the best use of these unique infrastructures, says Max Wolff, chairman of SNSS.

Background

The Swedish Research Council, the Association for Users of Synchrotron Light at MAX IV (FASM) and The Swedish Synchroton Users Organization (SSUO) invited on 27 October 2023 to a digital roundtable discussion on how the Swedish organizations for users of synchrotron light facilities can be optimized. During the conversation, in which about 20 invited researchers from the country's universities participated, the future X-ray user organizations in Sweden and important questions regarding the user organizations' role, their current achievements and how MAX IV can cooperate with them to optimize the information flow and support Swedish researchers were discussed.

Website SSUO External link.

Website FASM External link.

Website SNSS External link.

ESS/MAX IV Summit 2023

This year's version of the ESS/MAX IV Summit took place in Luleå, 21 September. A recording of the meeting can be found at the YouTube channel of the Swedish Research Council External link..

The northern part of Sweden is experiencing great development with new or transforming industries. Many of the traditional industries, such as forestry, mining and steel production, are changing their production techniques to become more climate neutral and are also trying to find new ways to use and reuse the raw materials. New industries establish themselves and expand their operations. Everything to contribute to making The Green Deal a reality.

In what way can research infrastructure and knowledge at the universities as well as MAX IV and ESS contribute to creating more sustainable products and processes for these industries? Who will take the lead in the green revolution - US or EU? How does Sweden contribute to European self-sufficiency? Funding and skills - an opportunity or a challenge?

This is what we talked about at ESS/MAX IV Summit 2023, where the participants listen edto, among others, the following people:

  • Pär Jonsén, Chief Technology Officer, LKAB Reemap
  • Mikael Nordlander, Director Industry Decarbonization, Vattenfall
  • Sara Mazur, Chair of the Board at WASP – Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program
  • Martin Karlsson, University Relationship Manager, Northvolt

The moderator for the event is Maria Borelius, the Summit is held in English and broadcast live via the Swedish Research Council's YouTube channel External link..

ESS/MAX IV Summit 2022

Watch the recording of the 2022 Summit here. External link.

Pandemic restrictions and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have put pressure on the research and innovation system. But is has also made it clear that Big Science, such as the research facilities ESS and MAX IV, are crucial for finding answers to burning scientific questions. New vaccines, solutions for phasing out fossil fuels, new environmentally-friendly materials and processes that work in a circular economy – the needs are growing by the day.

Summit 2022 discussed how the effects of the geopolitical changes in Europe impacts the research ecosystem, ESS and MAX IV, and how to secure the future competence that is needed to solve the challenges and to benefit fully from the investments being made in ESS and MAX IV.

The Swedish Research Council finances feasibility studies for future instruments at ESS


One of the areas that the Swedish Research Council has identified as important for Sweden concerning ESS is opportunities for Swedish researchers to participate in a competitive proposal for new instruments.

In recent years, two initiatives, in particular, have excelled. One is SAGA, a GISANS instrument (grazing-incidence small-angle neutron scattering) for structural studies of surfaces, thin films and boundary layers. Such experiments are of interest to both industry and academia in characterising all kinds of complex systems such as food and biological materials. The second is HIBEAM (high-intensity baryon extraction and measurement), an instrument for subatomic physics for studies of the fundamental properties of the neutron, which will be used to look for new physics beyond the so-called standard model.

Following the results of the needs inventory 2020, the Council for Research Infrastructures (RFI) decided to handle the instrumentation at ESS in a particular order, i.e. outside RFI's ordinary application procedures that were deemed not appropriate. As a step in this handling, RFI decided before the summer of 2021 to set up a targeted call for feasibility studies for future instruments at ESS. The SAGA and HIBEAM collaborations were invited to apply.

The applications have been prepared during the autumn. At its council meeting on 27-28 October, RFI decided to finance the SAGA and HIBEAM collaborations with SEK 10 million each during 2021-2023 to carry out the instrument feasibility studies. The feasibility studies will result in competitive proposals that can be submitted to the ESS council when the time is right to appoint the instruments that will constitute the ESS's future instruments.

LoI for Swedish in-kind contribution to ESS 2021


The Council for Research Infrastructures (RFI) decided at its council meeting in September 2021 to add SEK 30 million per year during 2021-2025 for the initial operational phase at ESS and that the money preferably should be used for Swedish in-kind grants.

As possible in-kind for Sweden already in 2021, ESS and the Swedish Research Council have identified the ongoing accelerator testing activity at the FREIA laboratory External link. at Uppsala University as most suitable. The intention is now that the Swedish Research Council will finance this to a value of SEK 24 million.

To receive support from the In-Kind Reference Committee at ESS for this to be credited as an in-kind contribution for Sweden, the Swedish Research Council and ESS have signed a Letter of Intent describing the parties' shared intentions. The Swedish Research Council now hopes that the ESS Council, based on this document, will decide to credit Sweden with the first of its kind contribution to the ESS at the next meeting in December.


What can ESS and MAX IV do for life science?

Stockholm Science City held a webinar 26 May 2021 in collaboration with the Office for ESS/MAX IV. Presentations where made on ESS and MAX IV technologies relevant to life science, how to apply for beamtime, and what kind of results can be obtained.

Selma Maric from MAX IV and Zoë Fisher from ESS told about the facilities and the InfraLife project and gave examples of research that can be carried out. Lionel Trésaugues explained how Sprint Bioscience and the FragMAX team at MAX IV collaborated to develop fragment screening using X-ray crystallography for cancer-related proteins.

The seminar is held in English.

See a recording of the webinar on Stockholm Science City's website External link, opens in new window.

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Big Science in Sweden

Large-scale research facilities are often known as “Big Science”. Around the world, these facilities contribute to great innovative power, technical development and groundbreaking research.

ESS and MAX IV in Lund give Sweden the opportunity to create an international centre that is world-leading within materials science and life sciences.

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