The Nordic Neutron Science Programme is Nordforsk programme to support neutron scattering. The goal of the programme is to increase the amount of Nordic-region researchers skilled in the use of neutron scattering techniques in preparation for the European Spallation Source (ESS) becomes operational.

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.

• Read about the Nordic-Baltic users >>
• Read about the Danish users >>

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) http://www.unizar.es/ensa/ 

The national organisations can be found at:

DANSSK: http://www.danscatt.dk/
SNSS: http://snss.se/
NONSA: https://www.ife.no/en/ife/departments/physics/projects/nonsa

NNSP contains an annual neutron school about neutron scattering for, in particular, 1st year PhD students.

The Nordic Neutron Science Programme (NNSP) and the Swedish Neutron Education for Science & Society (SwedNess) programme are proud to present the 8th Graduate School on Neutron Scattering. The school will take place in Lund, Sweden - 27 September - 10 October 2025 (introduction days, 27-28 September).

The school is intended for starting PhD students, but also M.Sc. students in the field and post docs new to the field are welcome.

The school covers an introduction to neutron scattering, with the topics:

• Principles of scattering and neutron instrumentation
• Diffraction
• Small-angle scattering
• Reflectivity
• Imaging
• Inelastic scattering
• Quasielastic scattering
• Magnetic diffraction and inelastic scattering
• Use of polarized neutrons

The course will start with two optional introductory days, 27-28 September, covering the topics:

• Complex numbers and complex exponentials
• Fourier transformation
• Connection between matter and waves
• Mathematical description of waves in one and three dimensions

We recommend that students from Life Science consider joining the introductory days, while students from Physical Sciences would likely not need to.

The last day of the School will be formed as a small project exam. Upon passing the exam, the students will receive a course diploma. The course organizers have valued the School to 4 ECTS

Registration will open soon! 
Deadline TBA

The school is free of charge, as it is sponsored by NordForsk; the Research Council of the Nordic countries. However, students from outside the Nordic countries will have to cover their own travel and accommodation.

 
For special requirements, please contact the School secretariat at:

• Maria Batista batista@nbi.ku.dk

On behalf of all organizers,

• Kim Lefmann, Univ. Copenhagen (NNSP)
• Martin Månsson, KTH (SwedNess)
• Luise Theil Kuhn, DTU Energy

     Funded by: 

Starts

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.

The NNSP Networks and the NNSP School collaborate on providing specialized schools for the Nordic community. In addition, there is a close collaboration with the Swedish sister program SwednESS, and it is in general agreed that students from one of the programmes can use courses from the other. For this reason, we here list both the the NNSP school, and the specialised course "Neutron Diffraction" hosted by Swedness, which will take place at Stockholm University.

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
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:

Maria Batista, KU: batista@nbi.ku.dk