European recognition for KM3NeT and EMFL

ESFRI is a strategic instrument of European governments to develop scientific integration in Europe. The realisation of large international research facilities requires European collaboration and a coherent strategy that is established for the coming years in the ESFRI Roadmap. The ESFRI Roadmap identifies new research infrastructures of pan-European importance, which tie in with the long-term needs of the European research community. The mission is to ensure that scientists in Europe have access to superb facilities for groundbreaking research. A facility must have political and financial support from at least three countries to be eligible for listing on the roadmap.

Neutrino telescope KM3NeT 2.0
The neutrino telescope KM3NeT 2.0 is an international research facility with planned locations deep in the Mediterranean Sea near Toulon (France) and Sicily (Italy). KM3NeT 2.0 has three challenging scientific objectives: the discovery of astrophysical sources of cosmic neutrinos, the determination of the neutrino mass ordering and synergetic research opportunities for marine and environmental studies. Neutrinos are uncharged subatomic particles that interact very weakly with matter and are therefore difficult to detect. The position on the ESFRI Roadmap means recognition of both the scientific importance and the technical feasibility of KM3NeT 2.0.

Via Nikhef and NIOZ the Netherlands is playing a vitally important role. The proposal to include KM3NeT 2.0 on the roadmap was submitted to ESFRI by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science with political support from Greece, France and Italy. Aart Heijboer, programme leader at Nikhef explains: "Besides scientific studies, the Dutch research group at Nikhef is responsible for a large part of the detector design: the first detection strings that were successfully installed recently were constructed at Nikhef in Amsterdam and we are very proud of this achievement."

Maarten de Jong, leader and spokesperson of the European KM3NeT 2.0 consortium, responds delighted: "A position on the ESFRI Roadmap 2016 means an important step towards the realisation of KM3NeT 2.0 and it gives a considerable boost to neutrino astronomy and neutrino physics in Europe; a highly promising combination."

The European magnetic field lab EMFL
The EMFL is now one of the 29 ESFRI Landmarks: large-scale, pan-European research facilities that give access to scientists from all over the world to carry out groundbreaking research. The awarding of the Landmark status is an important recognition for the EMFL that with the United Kingdom as a new member and an increase of research in high magnetic fields is experiencing considerable growth.

The EMFL is made up of the four European laboratories for high magnetic fields that are located in France (Grenoble and Toulouse), Germany (Dresden) and the Netherlands (HFML in Nijmegen). The mission is to generate the highest possible magnetic fields and to make these available to internal and external researchers for unique innovative research. A magnetic field is a thermodynamic parameter just like temperature and pressure. Researchers can therefore use magnetic fields to temporarily or permanently influence and change materials. This is one of the reasons why facilities with high magnetic fields are vital for investigating the fundamental properties of materials.

The founding members of the EMFL are the French CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), the German research centre HZDR (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf) and from the Netherlands: the Radboud University Nijmegen together with the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM).

Nigel Hussey (Director of the HFML and member of the EMFL Board of Directors) is extremely pleased about this European recognition: "The Landmark status that has now been awarded underlines the success of the long-term collaboration between the EMFL partners, which was initiated by my predecessor Jan Kees Maan, and was developed via a previous European project. EMFL is a fantastic example of a distributed network of large-scale research facilities that works extremely well for the researchers. It is particularly convenient and stimulating for them to gain access to these high quality and unique facilities via a single central access and selection point."

More information
For more information, please contact:
Job de Kleuver, FOM, +31 30 600 12 22
Nigel Hussey, HFML, +31 24 365 34 22
Stan Bentvelsen, Nikhef, +31 20 592 50 01

You can also consult the following websites:
www.emfl.eu
www.ru.nl/hfml
www.nikhef.nl/wetenschap-techniek/astrodeeltjesfysica/
www.esfri.eu