Nikhef, HFML and NanoLabNL receive large grant from ministry
State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science, Sander Dekker, and NWO Chair Jos Engelen, announced today that Nikhef, the High Field Magnet Laboratory (HFML) and NanolabNL have been awarded a large grant. This investment is part of the National Roadmap for Large-Scale Research Facilities. Nikhef receives 15.2 million euros for an upgrade of the three experiments at CERN to which the Dutch are making an important contribution. The HFML receives 14.9 million euros for new very powerful magnets, an expansion of the cooling system and an increase in the number of hours available for experiments. Researchers of NanolabNL receive 17 million euros for the development of novel materials, sensors and devices with unique nanostructures.
Dutch contribution to detector upgrades Large Hadron Collider CERN
The National Institute for subatomic physics Nikhef – a collaboration between FOM and four universities (RU, UU, UvA en VU) – is making an important contribution to three experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva, on behalf of the Netherlands. Prof.dr. Frank Linde, director of Nikhef, explains how they will invest the grant of 15.2 million euros: "First major improvements will be made to the ATLAS, ALICE and LHCb detectors at CERN's Large Hadron Collider, so we can continue to benefit from the enormous discovery potential of the accelerator for a long time. As of next year, by increasing the impact energy and intensity, we hope to be able to determine the properties of the higgs particle very accurately, but foremost of all to make new discoveries of course. We are also particularly pleased that resources are allocated to the continuation of the national computing infrastructure, which we have built up in recent years, along with Surf Sara, thanks to the BiG Grid project. This infrastructure is used by different research disciplines.
High Field Magnet Laboratory HFML
The HFML of FOM and the Radboud University Nijmegen uses and develops the strongest continuous high magnetic fields in the world to carry out pioneering research in physics, chemistry and the life sciences. The lab has received 14.9 million euros for new very powerful magnets, an expansion of the cooling system and an increase in the number of hours available for experiments. The new director of the lab, Prof.dr. Nigel Hussey, is also very pleased that the HFML can now expand the time that is available for experiments: "With this grant, we have money for fifty percent extra magnet time in the next five or six years. This gives more researchers from all over the world the opportunity to perform experiments at the HFML. We hope to show in the coming years that this investment results in technical innovations and breakthroughs in science.The HFML is a leading international facility on Dutch soil and this grant helps us to maintain that position."
NanoLabNL: Quantum Electrical Engineering QuEEn
NanoLabNL offers a wide spectrum of high-value nanotechnological research infrastructures. It is a unique facility, with locations at the University of Twente, Delft University of Technology, University of Groningen and Eindhoven University of Technology. Amongst other things, NanoLabNL makes complex sensors and detectors that can be used to measure minimal forces. The research predominantly focuses on the discovery of novel materials or material structures with unusual quantum properties (for quantum computers, for example). NanoLabNL has received 17 million euros for the development of novel materials, sensors and devices with unique nanostructures. NanoLabNL occupies a very strong international research position in the fields of nanotechnology and quantum engineering, as a result of which Dutch researchers and companies can assume a leading global position.
National roadmap large-scale research facilities
Each year, the Ministry for Education, Culture and Science makes 40 million euros available for the National Roadmap for Large-Scale Research Facilities and once every two years, NWO awards this funding to research teams who submit a proposal for this. An advisory committee from NWO assesses the projects submitted for scientific quality, importance for innovation, importance for the Netherlands and quality of the setup in addition to financial and technical criteria. Since 2012 a total of 29 research facilities have been on the National Roadmap for Large-Scale Research Facilities and six of these have now received funding.
Video material
Short video's about the research facilities