Nordic Neutron Science Programme (NNSP)

The programme is designed to support long term use of ESS through collaboration among the Nordic countries.

The NNSP consists of research projects funding Ph.D. students, a post doc programme, a summer school planned in collaboration with SwedNess, a hands-on course on diffraction held at the Jeep II reactor in Norway and  a series of networks that arrange workshops on specialized topics:

• Soft and biological materials
• Functional materials
• Magnetism and superconductivity
• Engineering, processes and real-space imaging
• Low-dimensional structures
• Network for Young Nordic Neutron Scatterers (NYNNeS)

The programme is a collaboration between 33 universities in the Nordic countries.

SwedNess: http://www.swedness.se/

NNSP School program 2017-2023, Final report

The NNSP Networks contain the following six networks:

• Soft and biological materials
  Network leader: Reidar Lund, UiO
   
• Functional materials
  Network leader: Mogens Christensen, AU
   
• Magnetism and superconductivity
  Network leader: Pascale Deen, ESS
   
• Engineering, processes and real-space imaging
  Network leader: Luise Theil Kuhn, DTU
   
• Low-dimensional structures
  Network leader: Christoph Frommen, IFE
   
• Network for Young Nordic Neutron Scatterers (NYNNeS)
  Network leader: Maja Hellsing, UU

As a part of the NNSP, Nordforsk has funded these six scientific projects

• The structure of membrane proteins under solution conditions. Project leader: Marie Skepö, Lund University. 6.8 MNOK
   
• Functional Hydrides – FunHy. Project leader: Torben Jensen, Aarhus University. 7 MNOK
   
• Water selectivity of aquaporins using neutron scattering. Project leader: Karin Lindkvist, Lund university. 7 MNOK
   
• Antimicrobial Peptides seen by Neutrons. Project leader: Reidar Lund, University of Oslo. 5.4 MNOK
   
• Neutrons for Heat Storage. Project leader: Didier Blanchard, DTU, Technical University of Denmark. 6.1 MNOK
   
• Magnetic Frustration under Pressure. Project leader: Patrik Henelius, KTH Royal Institute of Technology. 7 MNOK

To evaluate the impact of the support by NNSP and national/EU funds, it is important to monitor the community a series of bibliometric reports have been made detailing the neutron scattering community in the Nordic and Baltic countries. It finds that the size of the community is growing in some countries, but that there is a need for greater expertise and potential for expanding cooperation in the field.

In the three ”traditional” neutron-using countries: Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, the community is organized in national organizations, which are in turn participating in the European Neutron Scattering Association(ENSA) https://www.unizar.es/ 

The national organisations can be found at:

DANSSK: http://www.danscatt.dk/
SNSS: http://snss.se/
NONSA: https://www.ife.no/

Nordic and Baltic Neutron Scattering Communities, 2006-2023, report

To provide complete training in neutron scattering, actual hands-on experience is essential. The only neutron scattering facility in the Nordic countries is the JEEP II reactor at Institute for Energy Technology (IFE, www.ife.no), at Kjeller, Norway, close to Oslo.

NOTE: Due to the JEEP II reactor being closed there is no hands-on training at the moment

The first practical neutron scattering course will be organized at IFE in the week November 6-10th 2017. There will be follow-up courses in 2018 and 2020.

The practical course will be carried out with 3 neutron scattering instruments at the JEEP II:

• Powder neutron diffraction, PUS instrument: crystal structures and magnetic structures
• Small angle neutron scattering, SANS: characterization of nanosized particles
• Test instrument R2D2: understanding of instrument components and neutron transmission in different materials

From 2019-20 there will be possible to carry out practical training on neutron imaging and reflectometry at the JEEP II reactor.

For capacity reasons, this hands-on course is limited to 15 students.

There will be available support for hands-on training for use of other neutron techniques. This will both include participation in neutron schools at other European neutron facilities and training at specific instruments where Nordic instruments at international facilities will in particular be important.

More practical information both for the practical neutron scattering course in Norway in November and access to hands-on activities in other schools and facilities will come soon.

2025

NNSP/SWEDNESS Neutron School 2025. The school took place in Lund, Sweden - 27 September - 10 October 2025 (introduction days, 27-28 September).

2024

2023

2022

2020

No events due to Covid- 19

2019

• 9-10 January: Nordic Scattering from Soft Matter Workshop
• 21 February - 25 March: SwedNess course in Neutron Diffraction at Stockholm University
• 5-10 May: The Central European Training Schools on Neutron Techniques 
• 13-17 May: French-Swedish school on X-rays and Neutrons techniques for the study of functional materials for energy
• 5-7 June: Nordic Polymer Days 2019
• 18-27 June: ISIS Neutron Training Course
• 1-5 July: European Conference on Neutron Scattering 2019
• 2-13 September: 23rd Laboratory Course Neutron Scattering
• 9-20 September: NNSP summer school
• 26-27 September: Workshop on Perspectives and Applications of Deep Learning for Accelerated Scientific Discovery at next generation X-ray and Neutron Sources, The Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark

2017

• 9-21 September: NNSP Summerschool on Neutron Scattering

Links that might be relevant for people in the neutron science community:

www.neutronsources.org

https://www.ncnr.nist.gov/resources/n-lengths/

https://europeanspallationsource.se

Kim Lefmann, KU
Leader of the NNSP Summerschool
Universitetsparken 5, HCØ, Building 3
2100 København Ø
Email: Lefmann@nbi.ku.dk

Bjørn Hauback, IFE
Leader of the Hands-on Training
bjorn.hauback@ife.no

Martin Sahlberg, UU
Leader of the specialised courses and the NNSP networks
martin.sahlberg@kemi.uu.se

Sectretariat:

Camilla Dann, SwedNess camilla.dann@kemi.uu.se