​UK facilities – ISIS Neutron and Muon Source (ISIS) and the Diamond Light Source, located at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) – and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), in Switzerland –  home to the Swiss Spallation Neutron Source SINQ, the Swiss Muon Source SµS, the Swiss Light Source SLS and the X-ray Free-Electron Laser SwissFEL  –  will create new scientific capabilities to address global challenges.

These large-scale research infrastructures have a rich history in pushing forward science in key areas for our society, such as net zero technology development, healthcare solutions and therapies, and resilient communications, relying on their ability to study material properties at the atomic and molecular scales. Recent studies have included investigation of materials for enhanced batteries, quantum computing and technologies, and novel drug delivery mechanisms, as well as fundamental science investigations. The ISPF partnership will enable new projects to be taken forward, developing capabilities for research facilities that benefit society overall.

Researchers and technical teams from ISIS, Diamond and PSI have already worked in close collaboration for many years. The ISPF funding will allow an extension of collaborations into new research areas, enabling the development of novel capabilities in both countries. Around 16 projects will be taken forward as part of the programme, with 16 early-career postdoctoral researchers employed to work between the facilities.

The first full collaboration meeting was held at RAL in November, when 50 scientists and technologists from ISIS, Diamond and PSI facilities gathered to discuss their projects and plan future activities.

Meeting of members of the ISIS – Diamond – PSI partnership at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, 27-28 November 2024.

Philip King, Associate Director at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source said, “This is a great opportunity for the UK and Switzerland to work together for mutual benefit, developing new capabilities for new science. Our partnership with PSI will see imaging techniques, detectors for neutrons and X-rays, sample environment equipment, software for data analysis and other areas supported and developed over coming years, along with science projects focusing on energy, quantum materials and polymer science."

Adrian Mancuso, Physical Science Director at Diamond Light Source noted, “Scientific collaboration that puts solving global challenges at the core is fundamentally important. This partnership, bringing together international world-leading facilities, expertise, and capability-development, will help to accelerate brilliant light source science. By collaborating across techniques and technologies, as well as on topical science, we are also investing in capabilities for future collaborative work and investing in a global future."

Christian Ruegg, PSI Director, announced, “This is a strong partnership which Switzerland is keen to develop further. The Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, SERI, has just announced additional Swiss funding to complement the UK ISPF award. We are extremely pleased to be able to create an extension to the programme for additional science and technology benefits."

The ISIS-Diamond-PSI programme was presented at a meeting of the UK-Swiss Science and Innovation Committee (Berne, 9 December 2024), attended by the UK and Swiss Science Ministers, as a strong example of UK-Swiss science and technology collaboration.​

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The ISIS Neutron and Muon Source is a world-leading centre for research in the physical and life sciences. It produces intense beams of neutrons and muons that enable materials to be studied at the atomic and molecular level, offering insights that other techniques cannot. The facility provides researchers with access to a suite of instruments, each optimised for studying different properties of matter. Science at the facility spans a very broad range, from chemistry and catalysis to engineering components; cell membranes to battery materials; drug delivery mechanisms to microelectronics; geological investigations to archaeological studies. ISIS serves a community of several thousand academic and industrial researchers, from the UK and overseas.

For further information: Please contact ISIS Communications: ISISimpact@stfc.ac.uk or visit www.isis.stfc.ac.uk.

Diamond Light Source provides industrial and academic user communities with access to state-of-the-art analytical tools to enable world-changing science. Shaped like a huge ring, it works like a giant microscope, accelerating electrons to near light speeds, to produce a light 10 billion times brighter than the Sun, which is then directed off into 33 laboratories known as beamlines. In addition to these, Diamond offers access to several integrated laboratories including the world-class Electron Bio-imaging Centre (eBIC) and the Electron Physical Science Imaging Centre (ePSIC).     

Diamond serves as an agent of change, addressing 21st century challenges such as disease, clean energy, food security and more. Since operations started, more than 16,000 researchers from both academia and industry have used Diamond to conduct experiments, with the support of approximately 760 world-class staff. Almost 12,000 scientific articles have been published by our users and scientists.     

Funded by the UK Government through the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), and by the Wellcome Trust, Diamond is one of the most advanced scientific facilities in the world, and its pioneering capabilities are helping to keep the UK at the forefront of scientific research.     

Diamond was set-up as an independent not for profit company through a joint venture, between the UKRI's Science and Technology Facilities Council and one of the world's largest biomedical charities, the Wellcome Trust - each respectively owning 86% and 14% of the shareholding.     

For further information: Please contact Diamond Communications: diamond.communications@diamond.ac.uk    Diamond Light Source: www.diamond.ac.uk  Twitter: @DiamondLightSou

The Paul Scherrer Institute​, PSI, develops, builds and operates large, complex research facilities and makes them available to the national and international research community. Its research facilities include the Swiss Spallation Neutron Source SINQ, the Swiss Muon Source SµS, the Swiss Light Source SLS and the X-ray Free-Electron Laser SwissFEL. The institute's own key research priorities are in the fields of future technologies, energy and climate, health innovation and fundamentals of nature.

PSI is committed to the training of future generations. Therefore, about one quarter of our staff are post-docs, post-graduates or apprentices. Altogether PSI employs 2300 people, thus being the largest research institute in Switzerland. The annual budget amounts to approximately CHF 460 million. PSI is part of the ETH Domain, with the other members being the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology, ETH Zurich and EPFL Lausanne, as well as Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology), Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) and WSL (Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research).

The UK International Science Partnerships Fund aims to address global challenges, build knowledge, and develop the technologies of tomorrow, through working closely with international partners. It will:

• support research excellence and build the knowledge and technology of tomorrow
• strengthen ties with international partners
• enable researchers and innovators to cultivate connections, follow their curiosity and pioneer transformations internationally, for the good of the planet