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.

ESS/MAX IV Summit 2025

On October 3rd, we will meet at LINXS External link.at The Loop External link.in Lund for this year's ESS/MAX IV Summit. We will discuss how AI and data in research look today and where we are headed.

Mark the date in your calendar now and feel free to contact us if you would like an invitation, we can be reached at emk@vr.se

Below you will find information about and links to recordings of previous years' Summits.

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.

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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.

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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