[Neutron] ESS Scandinavia’s Prague Round Table: All preconditions exist for a swift decision on ESS

[Johan Långberg]

ESS Scandinavia’s Prague Round Table: All preconditions exist for a  
swift decision on ESS

ESS Scandinavia’s fourth Round-Table, today concluded in Prague, was  
dominated by good news. There is now broad acceptance that the ESS  
site decision will be taken before the summer.

The European Spallation Source will be the world’s leading centre for  
materials research and life science with neutrons. ESS Scandinavia  
proposes that it is built in Lund in southern Scandinavia.

ESS Scandinavia’s fourth Round-Table, held at the Charles University  
in Prague, was held in order to inform about the progress of the  
Scandinavian ESS bid and to discuss future directions. Several  
important new items were presented at the conference:

Update of the Scandinavian financial offer – Sweden gives a 50%  
binding guarantee.

As presented by the Swedish Minister for Research and Higher Education  
Lars Leijonborg yesterday, the Swedish government gives a binding  
guarantee of 50 percent of the ESS construction costs. This includes  
the already committed Swedish contribution of 30 percent, the Danish  
contribution of 12,5 percent announced two weeks ago, future  
contributions from other Nordic and Baltic countries, and  
participation by a business consortium. It includes a cash  
contribution of at least 40 percent, to allow the build-up of a strong  
central project team. Sweden expects other European countries to  
finance the remaining 50 percent, welcoming in-kind contributions.

Clarification of the site decision-making process

There is now broad agreement between European countries on how the ESS  
decision-making process will progress. The Czech government, currently  
holding the EU Presidency, has taken the initiative to set up an ESS  
Core Group of European countries that have an interest in building and  
operating the ESS. Two meetings of the Core Group are planned, in the  
fringes of the EU Competitiveness Council: the 4-5 May in Prague and  
the 28-29 May in Brussels. The aim is to reach conclusions on the site  
by the second meeting.

The decision-making process will be based on the findings of the ESS  
Site Review Group, that presented its evaluation of the three  
competing ESS sites in September 2008. The Site Review Group drew the  
conclusions that Lund provides excellent conditions to attract  
international scientists, scientific and industrial environments that  
are very amenable to ESS. It also concluded that the MAXIV  
neighbourhood will be an advantage, and that ESS Lund is well prepared  
to proceed towards construction without delay.

Support from Norway

Norway now formally supports that the ESS is built in Lund. This was  
also announced by Minister Lars Leijonborg on Monday.

MAXIV synchrotron funding finalized

A consortium agreement has been signed in order to fund the  
construction of the MAX IV high brilliance synchrotron laboratory in  
Lund. Construction work will start in 2010. MAX IV will be one of the  
world’s most brilliant synchrotron facilities, constituting the  
perfect scientific complement to the ESS. Together, the ESS and the  
MAXIV will be a world-leading centre of excellence for materials  
research and life science.

- I am very glad that there is now extensive support for when and how  
the ESS decision will be taken. Europe has a unique opportunity to  
take a far-sighted decision on one of the largest planned European  
research facilities. All preconditions exist today for a swift  
decision on the site before the summer, says Colin Carlile, Director  
of the ESS Scandinavia Secretariat.
- A decision on ESS will pave the way for the pan-European ESS design  
review. It will also mean that European decision-makers can move ahead  
on other large-scale European research projects, essential for the  
future growth and welfare of the continent.

The Round-Table was attended by 29 participants from 16 European  
countries, as well as the Nordic Investment Bank.

The Round-Table was jointly chaired by Denmark and Sweden. Recently  
the Danish and Swedish governments signed an agreement to co-host the  
ESS, if it is built in Lund.



ESS in short


The European Spallation Source – a super-microcope for materials  
research and life science

The European Spallation Source (ESS) will be a multi-disciplinary  
research laboratory based upon the world’s most powerful neutron  
source. Neutron beams can be likened to large microscopes, where  
materials – ranging from polymers and pharmaceuticals to membranes  
and molecules – are studied to gain knowledge about their structure  
and function. The high precision instruments of the ESS will enable in- 
depth analyses under realistic conditions. The ESS will open up brand  
new possibilities for researchers in for example health, environment,  
climate, energy and transport sciences and archaeology.

ESS is an intergovernmental project that resembles CERN in Geneva. A  
number of countries have offered to host it. The decision on where to  
build the ESS is of current interest. It will be taken when those  
European governments that have an interest in building and running the  
ESS have created a coalition and entered into an agreement with the  
preferred host country. ESS Scandinavia - a consortium of leading  
universities, research institutions and regional bodies in Scandinavia  
- proposes that the ESS be located in Lund, Sweden.

In February 2007 the Swedish government offered to host the ESS and to  
cover about 30 percent of the 1,4 B€ investment costs and 10 percent  
of the operating costs. In June 2007 Lund University was commissioned  
by the government to establish a Secretariat for the planning, the  
building-up of competence and the recruitment of researchers in order  
to prepare for the construction of the ESS. Professor Colin Carlile,  
previous Director of the world-leading Institut Laue-Langevin in  
Grenoble, was appointed as Director.

Negotiations on bringing the ESS to Lund are now underway. The Swedish  
government has appointed Mr. Allan Larsson, chairman of the Lund  
University board of directors and former Finance Minister, as  
Sweden’s chief negotiator. Right now the process of obtaining the  
necessary authorisation is progressing, as well as the technical  
preparations and the refinement of the design to site conditions in  
Lund. Building is expected to start around 2012, the first neutrons  
will be produced in 2018-19 and the facility will be fully operational  
around 2023.

ESS will support a user community of 5000 researchers and will have  
great strategic importance for the development of the European  
Research Area. Lund and the Malmö-Copenhagen region have excellent  
preconditions to attract leading scientists: several large  
universities, a broad research-based industry, high-quality  
infrastructure, an English-speaking population and world-class  
research capabilities in, among other areas, biotech and nano  
technology. Near by there will be complementary laboratories, such as  
the planned synchrotron MAX IV in Lund and XFEL and PETRA in Hamburg.

ESS Scandinavia will engage in the climate change strategies of the  
European Union and the Swedish government, and has adopted the goal  
that the ESS will be carbon dioxide neutral. This will be achieved by  
means of an energy conservation strategy, the use of renewable sources  
of electricity, and the reuse of excess heat through the Lund district  
heating and cooling system. ESS built in Lund will be the first large- 
scale scientific facility operating under this principle, and it will  
be a demonstration project for other future facilities.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Professor Colin Carlile
Director
colin.carlile at esss.se
+46 761 33 33 99


Marianne Ekdahl
Communications Officer
marianne.ekdahl at esss.se
+46 761 33 33 97





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