Get in contact with ESS today!
Swedish in-kind deliveries to ESS are part of the Swedish membership fee to ESS, and can amount to SEK 150 million from 2021.
There is still funding to apply for! Contact Sindra Petersson Årsköld.
The condition for being able to deliver in-kind to ESS is that the delivery is included in ESS's project plan and budget and that it is based on an agreement between ESS and the delivering partner. Co-financing is not required, the deliveries are fully financed according to ESS budgeting as stated in the Cost book.
Swedish researchers who wish to deliver services, personnel or equipment in-kind must therefore contact ESS immediately to discuss details regarding scope, timetable, in kind value, risks, acceptance criteria, etc.
Funded projects so far:
2021
- Freia (UU)
2022
- ODIN Commissioning scientist (LU)
- NMX Scientist (LU)
- Deuteration Laboratory Services (LU)
- Polarization (LU, KTH, UU)
2023
- Source Facility for Detector Testing (LU)
2024
- Solid-State Power Amplifier demonstrator (UU)
- LOKI commissioning scientist (LU)
- Deuteration Lab Services, amended contract (LU)
- Postdoc seconment in the Large Scale Structures Division (LU)
- Source Facility for Detector Testing, continued contract (LU)
- Support in the provision of sample environment for the ESTIA and FREIA reflectometers (LiU)
- Secondment of an Instrument Scientist for the DREAM Instrument (UU)
- NMX Scientist secondments, amended contract (LU), prolongation from 2022
2025
- ODIN Commissioning scientist (LU), prolongation from 2022
Swedish Science Initiatives at ESS
The government's research and innovation bill 2024 allocated extra funds to maximize the scientific benefit of ESS for the years 2025-2028. In 2025, the Swedish Research Council implemented an initiative to strengthen and support Swedish researchers' participation and role in early science at ESS.
The focus has been on identifying issues where experiments at ESS can lead to breakthroughs in strong Swedish research areas such as life sciences, quantum technology, sustainable and functional materials, and imaging of materials processes and processing, through initiatives that bring together the scientific community.
Through open workshops, the scientific community has been involved broadly, including international participants, and defined "Science cases" that also take into account developments in data - AI/ML analysis, digital twins, etc. - and synergies with MAX IV.
Four projects have now started with support from the Swedish Research Council. These will contribute to developing and utilizing the capacity of ESS's first instruments, for example through new instrumentation, test environments, methodology, analysis methods or software, as well as supporting participation in early science and preparing future flagship experiments.
The community driven Swedish initiative Sustainable and functional materials from local resources funded by the Swedish Research Council aims at developing methodologies and sample environments to enable new groundbreaking experiments at the European Spallation Source (ESS).
Specifically, the initiative will develop a digital-twin based analysis method for analysis of combined Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS), neutron diffraction and neutron total scattering data. This method will enable the interpretation of multimodal experimental data, from ESS instruments such as DREAM, which covers length scales from local atomic arrangements up to macroscopic features. This is critical for increasing the understanding of phenomena such as solidification of complex metallic alloys.
Furthermore, the initiative will develop new sample environments which will allow for new types of experiments e.g. in-situ thermal-gravimetric-analysis (TGA) measurements under different atmospheres combined with neutron scattering (SANS and neutron diffraction). This will allow the study of processes that are dependent on parameters such as humidity or different gas environments over larger length scales than previously possible and with better time resolution.
In summary the initiative will develop new methodology and sample environments that will extend the capabilities of ESS. This will enable new scientific discoveries in a variety of fields.
The main group, supported by one international advisory group and one Swedishadvisory and design group, consists of the following people:
- Professor Martin Sahlberg, Uppsala University
- Senior Lecturer, Magnus Hörnqvist Colliander, Chalmers
- Researcher, Rebecca Clulow, Uppsala University
- Professor, Paul Erhart, Chalmers
- Instrument Data Scientist, Celine Durniak, ESS
- Head of the Diffraction and Imaging Division, Mikhail Feygenson, ESS
- Head of Scientific Support Division, Hanna Wacklin-Knecht, ESS
- Researcher/Project Coordinator, Mikael Andersson, Uppsala University
How can Sweden fully harness the scientific potential of ESS and MAX IV for quantum materials research?
Quantum Horizons at ESS addresses this question by bringing together leading expertise in materials synthesis, thin-film growth, neutron scattering, electronic structure theory, and data science across Sweden. The initiative is led by Yasmine Sassa (KTH) and Elizabeth Blackburn (Lund University) and connects researchers from KTH, Lund University, Chalmers University of Technology, Uppsala University, Linköping University, Örebro University, and the European Spallation Source (ESS).
The core team includes Jens Birch (Linköping University), Lars Öhrström (Chalmers), Olle Eriksson (Uppsala University), Anna Delin (KTH), Martin Månsson (KTH), Matthias Geilhufe (Chalmers), Danny Thonig (Örebro University), and Jia-Fei Poon (ESS). Together, they represent complementary expertise spanning neutron spectroscopy and reflectometry, advanced thin-film fabrication, inorganic and molecular synthesis, electronic-structure modelling, spin dynamics, AI-assisted materials informatics, and deuteration chemistry.
The project focuses on early-science experiments at the ESS on the instruments BIFROST and ESTIA. BIFROST enables high-resolution studies of low-energy excitations and lattice dynamics, while ESTIA provides depth-resolved insight into magnetic and interfacial structures in complex thin-films and heterostructures. In parallel, complementary synchrotron techniques at MAX IV will probe electronic and structural properties, creating an integrated ESS–MAX IV research workflow.
A central objective of Quantum Horizons is to strengthen Sweden’s capacity in materials and crystal growth tailored for neutron experiments — an area where national competence has historically been limited. By establishing coordinated pipelines for synthesis, thin-film fabrication, deuteration, characterization, and data-driven analysis, the project ensures that high-quality, neutron-ready samples will be accessible for Swedish researchers at ESS and MAX IV.
Strategically, the initiative transforms Sweden’s geographical proximity to world-leading research infrastructures into long-term scientific leadership. By integrating synthesis, advanced scattering methods, and predictive modelling, Quantum Horizons lays the foundation for sustainable Swedish excellence in neutron-based quantum materials research and future technologies in spintronics, energy-efficient information processing, and quantum devices.
The imminent startup of ESS represents a fantastic opportunity for science, opening new avenues for investigating and understanding the internal structures and processes of materials and to understand our past and the history of our universe. Neutron imaging, i.e., radiography and tomography, will be possible at the Odin instrument and, coupled with the unique nature of the ESS source, will provide new perspectives on materials, structures and artefacts through the possibility for hyperspectral, multidimensional images containing intricate details on the distribution of chemistry, composition, deformation and temperature.
The HyperspIN (“Hyperspectral, multidimensional Imaging with Neutrons to explore material processes and processing for a sustainable society”) initiative will ensure the involvement of Swedish scientists in early science at the Odin instrument, to demonstrate its capabilities and support developments of the ecosystem around the instrument. Furthermore, the initiative will, importantly, build a foundation for science with neutron imaging at ESS from beam-on-target to beyond 2030, by establishing and demonstrating key methods that will enable the wider scientific community to exploit the capabilities of Odin to address scientific questions and challenges across a wide spectrum of science.
The HyperspIN initiative involves researchers from across Sweden and will support, develop and demonstrate science at the Odin instrument plus promote Swedish community involvement in Odin through three main pillars:
- Pillar I - ToF-Imaging: Crystalline insights with hyperspectral imaging, led by C. Dahlberg, KTH
- Pillar II - ToF-Tomo Decoding Materials and processes in 3D with ToF Tomography, led by S. Hall, Lund University
- Pillar III - ToF-Sim: Pioneering ToF Imaging for new challenges and materials, led by J. Hektor, Malmö University
PublISHED ON
UpDATED ON