STOCKHOLM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The signing will take place in a ceremony at the Swedish Embassy in France tonight, in the frame of the sixth meeting of the ESS Steering Committee.
The Memorandum of Understanding will provide a basis for the international collaboration during the Pre-Construction Phase of the ESS, the next generation neutron source for materials research and life science. The Memorandum will be complemented later on by agreements detailing the participation of the respective Partner Countries.
- The construction of ESS is a key element in the European efforts to further develop world-leading research infrastructures. Today’s agreement is a real step forward, says Lars Borjesson, Chairman of the Steering Committee.
The Pre-Construction Phase is the first step towards realizing the European Spallation Source. It will cover the update of the ESS technical design, the site planning and licensing. It is planned to end in 2012, and be followed by the Construction Phase.
The MoU specifies that this phase will also result in:
- time lines for construction and operation
- a funding scenario for ESS construction and operation
- a detailed budget and cost book
- a proposal on organizational structure of the ESS
- a signature-ready agreement on international partnership for construction and operation of ESS
- The international MoU will give us the essential framework needed for participation of the Partner Countries and coordination of the work ahead, says Colin Carlile, Director-General of ESS.
- We are particularly proud that the international collaboration for one of Europe’s largest future science facilities is agreed in France, since France has a strong engagement in strengthening European research, says Gabriele Fioni, Deputy Director-General at the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, who will sign the MoU on behalf of France.
The European Spallation Source is currently partnered by 16 European countries: Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Hungary, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Switzerland.
ESS IN SHORT:
The European Spallation Source – the next generation facility for materials research and life science
The European Spallation Source (ESS) will be a multi-disciplinary research laboratory based on the world’s most powerful neutron source. ESS can be likened to a large microscope, where neutrons are used instead of light to study materials – ranging from polymers and pharmaceuticals to membranes and molecules – to gain knowledge about their structure and function. ESS will be up to 100 times better than existing facilities, opening up new possibilities for researchers in for example health, environment, climate, energy, transport sciences and cultural heritage. ESS is an intergovernmental research infrastructure project, and it will be built in Lund in southern Scandinavia. At least sixteen European countries will take part in the construction, financing and operation of the ESS. Sweden and Denmark will co-host the ESS and cover 50 percent of the 1,4 B€ investment costs and 20 percent of the operating costs together with the Nordic and Baltic states. The European Spallation Source ESS AB is a public limited company, today owned by the Swedish and the Danish states. ESS AB is planning the future international ESS organisation. Building is expected to start around 2013, the first neutrons to be produced in 2019 and the facility to be fully operational around 2025. ESS will support a user community of 5000 researchers and will have great strategic importance for the development of the European Research Area. Near by there will be complementary laboratories, such as the synchrotron MAX IV in Lund and XFEL and PETRAIII in Hamburg.
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