FOM and Radboud University invest in further development of magnet research
Radboud University Nijmegen and the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM) are taking a large step together towards further international development of their physics research on matter. They are investing in the High Field Magnet Laboratory (HFML), which occupies a unique place worldwide. On Tuesday 23 August, Radboud University Nijmegen and FOM will sign the agreement for this joint HFML collaboration.
Both parties will form a single board and carry out joint research programmes. This collaboration greatly benefits innovation in the area of materials research, and fits seamlessly within the government's ambition to create a large-scale scientific research infrastructure in the Netherlands. Materials research is, furthermore, one of the spearheads in the 'top sectors policy' (topsectorenbeleid) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, which through innovative knowledge aims to boost economic development in the Netherlands.
This intensive collaboration between Radboud University and FOM is an important step in further developing scientific research in the Netherlands. A large-scale research centre is being built on the Radboud campus, which, in addition to its powerful magnetic fields, will use three free-electron lasers in its leading international research, drawing researchers and students from across the globe. Radboud University and FOM will be working together to ensure that scientific programmes are carried out in accordance with national and EU research objectives and are strongly focused on innovation. The fundamental research environment at HFML will become a breeding ground for innovation and for the further development of the knowledge-based economy. Through this joint effort, Radboud University and FOM are helping to realise the cabinet's objectives, as expressed in the Strategic Agenda for Higher Education and Research presented by State Secretary Zijlstra on 1 July, as well as contributing to a stronger top sectors policy, as formulated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation.
Nobel Prize winners
The High Field Magnet Laboratory (HFML) is a special research facility. The extremely powerful magnetic fields generated at HFML facilitate unique research: materials tested under such experimental conditions reveal their secrets, but do not lose their physical integrity. The unique nature of these Nijmegen-based experiments draws researchers from around the globe – Nobel Prize winner Novoselov and Geim, for instance, who carry out research at HFML on the characteristics of graphene. HFML is partner of a European consortium that seeks to transform the three largest magnetic field laboratories in Europe (the Netherlands, Germany and France) into a single cluster of research facilities.
Press note
You are warmly invited to attend the signing of this agreement on Tuesday 23 August, 10.30 at HFML, Toernooiveld 7, 6525 ED Nijmegen. For more information about HFML, please visit www.ru.nl/hfml.
More information:
Willem Hooglugt
Radboud University Nijmegen spokesperson
(024) 361 14 33
Gabby Zegers
Head of Communications FOM
(030) 600 12 22