ESS’ fourth annual Innovation Day was hosted by Alfa Laval in Lund. Bringing together industry leaders, academic researchers, and ESS experts to explore cutting-edge applications of neutron science, this year’s edition included several examples of how industry is already using neutrons in their research and development.
The event, a mainstay in ESS’s innovation calendar, serves as a bridge between scientific research and practical industrial challenges.
In his opening remarks, ESS Director General, Helmut Schober emphasised ESS’s commitment to fostering meaningful partnerships with industry and academia, “By the end of 2027, ESS will have completed its construction project and launched its scientific program. A close and collaborative dialogue with future users – both within the scientific community and in industry - is essential to ensure that ESS’s unparalleled tools deliver the insights into materials needed to maintain European competitiveness and contribute to addressing the major challenges of our time.”
One of the highlights of the day was the demonstration of applications of neutron scattering techniques by leading companies including Tetra Pak, Volvo, AstraZeneca, Sandvik and Alfa Laval.
For Julien Gennetier, Vice-President, Energy Divison at Alfa Laval, “Collaboration with big science and academia is for us vital to push the boundaries of our technologies and innovate in finding solutions for the challenging transitions we face”.
The Swedish Neutron Initiative, which aims to facilitate companies’ access to ESS facilities, is also showing good progess, with four companies interested in being part of “first science” at ESS. During Innovation Day, Pia Kinhult (ESS) and Professor Daniel Söderberg (KTH - Royal Institute of Technology), announced that a first candidate will be revealed later this year. Chalmers University and KTH have been the academic partners for ESS in this initiative.
The ESS Innovation Day is initiated by the ESS High-level Industrial Forum, set up to support ESS in becoming a natural partner within the research and innovation landscape in Europe.
