LENS position papers and reports
Neutron Science in Europe
13 June 2022
For many years Europe has had a powerful ecosystem of neutron facilities that was the envy of the world; supporting an expert community of researchers, and delivering science, innovation and competitive advantage through economic impact for European society. However, the European neutron ecosystem is experiencing a period of significant change and has been destabilised following the closure of a number of facilities.
Neutron Science in Europe, published as a joint initiative of the BrightnESS2 project and LENS Initiative, presents the current landscape for neutrons in Europe and addresses the challenges and opportunities for European neutron science to remain a key contributor in addressing current and future societal challenges.
Neutron Science in Europe
13 June 2022
For many years Europe has had a powerful ecosystem of neutron facilities that was the envy of the world; supporting an expert community of researchers, and delivering science, innovation and competitive advantage through economic impact for European society.
However, the European neutron ecosystem is experiencing a period of significant change and has been destabilised following the closure of a number of facilities.
Neutron Science in Europe, published as a joint initiative of the BrightnESS2 project and LENS Initiative, presents the current landscape for neutrons in Europe and addresses the challenges and opportunities for European neutron science to remain a key contributor in addressing current and future societal challenges.
Read the document >>Report on Low Energy Accelerator-driven Neutron Sources
3 February 2021
Neutrons can be produced via fission, spallation or nuclear processes. In recent years, small compact accelerator-based neutron sources (CANS), which produce neutrons through lower energy nuclear reactions, have gained attention as scalable and cost-efficient neutron sources with the potential to serve as user facilities. Exploring the possibilities of using CANS in Europe, an ad-hoc Working Group of LENS has produced a Report on Low Energy Accelerator-driven Neutron Sources. The report gives an overview of the scope and capabilities of this evolving technology, and offers an outlook and recommendations for CANS to supplement the existing ecosystem of neutron sources in Europe.
Read the document >>
LENS and the fight against Covid-19: How neutrons will contribute
27 March 2020
On 26 October 1895 Louis Pasteur announced to the National Academy of Science in Paris the first successful vaccination of a 9-year-old boy infected with rabies, a viral disease that up to then was considered unavoidably fatal. Viral diseases continue to haunt humanity, as demonstrated by the current pandemic of Covid-19 that, as we write, has killed tens of thousands, is straining our health systems dangerously...
Read the paper >>Making it happen: Placing Analytical Research Infrastructures at the heart of the Green Deal
10 February 2020
Decoupling economic growth from (non-renewable) resource use and negative environmental impact, in order to guarantee the long-term viability of a fair and prosperous society, is a goal that should be universally welcomed. For this reason, the scientific community enthusiastically supports the European Green Deal for the European Union and its citizens, which puts Europe in a leading position in the design of tomorrow’s society...
LENS Position Paper on BATTERY 2030+
20 January 2020
As the BATTERY 2030+ Roadmap makes abundantly clear, the strategic use of large-scale European analytical facilities will play a critical role in realising the roadmap and especially the Battery Interface/Interphase Genome and Materials Acceleration Platform (BIG-MAP) research area. The neutron and photon facilities represented by the pan-European LENS and LEAPS initiatives are specifically singled out in this respect. With this paper, LENS wishes to clearly support the proposed strategy...
LENS in the context of Horizon Europe
20 September 2019
The innovation that gives rise to new and improved materials—from tissue scaffolds that support surgical reconstructions to wire cables that support suspension bridges—underpins many of the Pillar II clusters of the Horizon Europe programme, including health, industry, energy and food. This materials development is itself underpinned by the network of technical capabilities and human skills in the universities and research institutions that comprise the European Research Area...
