Update on Neutron Strategic Review

9 Jan 2017 01:52 PM

An external review of neutron science and facilities will  help update the UK’s long term strategy and maintain our global strength in this field.

The Research Councils announced plans to develop an updated Neutron Strategy in July 2016 with a call for community input. In December, an external strategic review panel held its first meeting and will draw on community and facility inputs to develop recommendations that will help shape the updated strategy. The updated strategy, led by the Science and Technology Facilities Council, will be published in Summer 2017 and will guide future developments and access provision aligned with the key scientific challenges to maximise the broader benefits of neutron science to the UK.

The external review panel members are:

The updated strategy will ensure the UK maintains its place as a world leader in the many areas of science and technology that use neutrons to probe materials and structures.  This research is delivering important results in areas ranging from structural analysis in complex engineering components through to improved understanding of biological systems and medicines.

The strategy will provide:

The UK neutron community is one of the largest in Europe, supported by access to two world-leading facilities, ISIS at the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) and the world-leading reactor source, Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble. The UK is also making a significant contribution to the construction of the world’s next generation neutron facility, the European Spallation Source (ESS) currently being built in Lund, Sweden, and is a founder member of the ESS consortia.