International partnerships and collaborations

The UK Internatio​nal Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF)​​ is providing funds to enable the development of Brazilian use of ISIS, and to​ foster the collaboration between ISIS and Brazilian researchers.

This funding, for the period 2023-2027, will support a limited number of Brazilian experiments at ISIS, research and training visits,​ and workshops to promote collaboration and partnerships between ISIS and Brazil, as well as dissemination of research results in Brazil. A brochure outlining the programme can be downloaded here: Brazil leaflet.

To harness the capabilities of ISIS for the advancement of Brazilian and UK materials research, and in the wider context of the opportunities offered by the launch of the Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor (RMB) project in Iperó (SP, Brazil), we plan to promote a series of webinars and workshops. In particular, these aim to expand the Brazilian neutron user community by:

• Identifying new Brazilian research groups and projects that can benefit from neutron techniques 
• Training the next generation of researchers in neutron science 
• Facilitating access to the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source for Brazilian users 
• Exchanging knowledge on neutron scattering techniques and science 
• Exploring possibilities for common infrastructure projects for e.g., sample environment development

The activities and collaborations are expected to lead to grant proposals to CNPq/CAPES/FAPESP/STFC to support mobility of scientists for neutron beamtime as well as infrastructure development. 

Upcoming Events

• First Brazilian Neutron User Meeting, ISIS-RMB, 26-28/Jan/2026, IPEN, Sao Paulo, Brazil​​​
• ​ISIS special participation at LACA-ABCr​: https://laca-abcr-2025.abcristalografia.org.br/program/
• ISIS special participation at Neutron School in Curitiba: https://neutronschool.lorxi.com.br/

Proposal submissions for ISIS neutron and muon beamtime are welcome from Brazilian researchers. For supported experiments, funding will be available for travel and subsistence costs for up to two Brazilian researchers to come to ISIS. See here for information on access calls and user funding.

Researchers are strongly encouraged to contact an ISIS instrument scientist in advance of proposal submission, to discuss technical aspects of a proposal and beamtime availability. In the event of oversubscription, preference will be given to users who are new to using the ISIS facility and to early-career researchers.

Past Events

• Webinars: Series 1 (21-22 Aug 2023)
• Webinars: Series 2 (12-14 Sept 2023)
• First Meeting ISIS-Brazil Collaboration for Neutrons, IPEN, March 18, 2024 
• ISIS Neutron Source Roadshow, USP, Sao Paulo, 19/March/2024 (more details here)
• ISIS Neutron Source Roadshow, UFPR, Curitiba, 21-22/March/2024 (more details here)
• ISIS Neutron Source Roadshow, UFC, Fortaleza, 26-27/March/2024 (more details here)
• ISIS Neutron School in Brazil
• ISIS – RMB Neutronics Meeting (online), 2/December/2024 (ISIS – RMB Neutronics Meeting​)
• Webinars: Programme for SERIES 3
• Brazilian Research Reactor visiting ISIS, 14-17/July/2025
• Mini-sabbatical at ISIS (extra days after beamtime to analyse data). This opportunity is now closed.​

Contacts
ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, UK:

• Leide P. Cavalcanti
• Gøran Nilsen​
• Helen Walker​
• Viviane Antonio
• Philip King

Brazilian Local Committee:

Julio Larrea Jimenez (USP), Valentina Martelli (USP), Margareth K. Dias Franco (IPEN), Fabiano Yokaichiya (UFPR), Heloisa N. Bordallo (UC), Marcia Fantini (USP), Eneida de Paula (Unicamp), Eduardo Granado (Unicamp), Cristiano L. Oliveira (USP), Frederico Genezini (IPEN), Jose Augusto Perrotta (IPEN), Patricio Munoz (USP), Fabio Formiga (Fiocruz, PE), Carlos Campos (UFSC), Guinther Kellermann (UFPR), Cicero Avila Neto (UFPR), Cristina Bormio (USP), Alejandro Ayala (UFC, CE)

India was the first international partner and contributed to the construction of the IRIS spectrometer (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre). Since then Indian researchers have made an impact in a broad spectrum of research ranging from collaborations with industrial giant Tata Steel who have used the Engin-X instrument to improve their products, to fundamental research into nanoparticles, technologically relevant multiferroics and superconductivity.

In 2016 STFC signed an agreement with the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR, Bengaluru) to contribute to a new instrument at ISIS (Zoom) and to provide access for Indian users to the facility. This £2M investment over five years was funded by the Indian Nanomission, part of India’s Department of Science and Technology, which aims to foster, promote and develop all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology with the potential to tackle global challenges.

One of ISIS’ longest collaborations, since 1984, is with the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) in Italy.

For over 40 years t​he collaboration between ISIS and Italy has spanned a very wide range of science areas from fundamental research through to biomaterials, materials for energy and cultural heritage studies. It has also included the​ development of significant instrumentation and techniques which have benefited the wider neutron community.​​

This partnership has included development of many ISIS instruments including Tosca, Vesuvio, Ines, SANDALS, and, most recently, Nimrod, IMAT and ChipIr on Target Station 2.

40 years of ongoing ISIS-Italy collaboration were celebrated in 2024 with events at RAL and in Rome.

In 2019 a new Research Infrastructure, ISIS@MACH (MAterials Characterisation Hub) was launched in partnership with the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”. ISIS@MACH is based in Italy, in the Region Lazio, and acts as a local Hub for the UK-based ISIS pulsed neutron and muon source. The project is funded by Region Lazio under the specific funding programme POR FESR 2014-2020 to strengthen Research Infrastructures, to enable both Italian and UK researchers to pool knowledge and experience with collaborators across UK and Italy, respectively, recognising the value neutron and muon probes bring to multidisciplinary research. ​​​

Over the years the mutual exchange of scientific and technical expertise has provided ISIS users with a set of world-leading scientific instruments and led to world class science, covering everything from new methods of drug delivery to cultural heritage applications. Cultural heritage was not a commonly studied area at ISIS, but as a result of the Italian collaboration, it has expanded along with a number of other research areas, from proton motion in ice and water, studied using the Vesuvio instrument, to biological systems with health applications.​

See here for information on access calls and user funding.

ISIS has had many agreements with Japan over the years, the longest-standing of which is the partnership with RIKEN in Japan for operation of the RIKEN-RAL Muon Facility.

The first agreement for this collaboration in muon science was signed in 1990. The partnership has been one of the largest research collaboration projects between the UK and Japan. The agreement was renewed several times, ending in its current form in 2023 which saw the refurbishment of the facility to ensure its ongoing use for many years to come. ​The collaboration  celebrated 30 years  in September 2020. The partnership was recognised by a commendation from the Japanese Foreign Ministry in 20923.

In addition, Japan (RIKEN, KEK, JAEA​) has partnered ISIS in the building of Mari, MAPS and GEM neutron instruments.​

ISIS has ongoing, strong links with J-PARC, Japan’s neutron and muon source, including an MoU for partnership working and various joint projects.

The UK Internatio​nal Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) ​​is providing funds to enable the development of Malaysian and and Indonesian use of ISIS, and to​ foster collaboration between ISIS and researchers from Malaysia and Indonesia. Between 2023-2027, this funding will support a limited number of Malaysian and Indonesian experiments at ISIS, research and training visits, and workshops to promote collaboration and partnerships with ISIS.​

As part of this programme, Malaysian and Indonesian researchers can apply for beamtime at ISIS. The ISPF award then enables up to two researchers to be funded to come to ISIS for experiments – this funding will cover flight costs, and food and accommodation whilst at ISIS.​ See here for information on access calls and user funding.

The first agreement with the Swedish Research Council (VR) was signed in 1988. The collaboration has recently been strengthened by ISIS providing considerable expertise to the European Spallation Source​​ (ESS) currently under construction near Lund, Sweden. The latest agreement with the Swedish Research Council Vetenskapsrådet (VR) extends the collaboration until end of 2029, creating new opportunities for Swedish researchers and providing resources that benefit the whole user community.

The ISIS – Netherlands agreement, funded by the NWO and implemented through the Reactor Institute of the Technical University Delft (RID), builds on the long standing expertise at RID in the development and use of polarised neutron instruments. This has contributed to the unique capabilities of the Offspec and Larmor instruments on TS2.

The Larmor instrument on the ISIS Second target station was constructed as part of the ongoing collaboration between ISIS and the Technical University of Delft, funded by STFC and a grant from the Netherlands science funding agency the NWO. The collaboration has delivered a unique instrument capable of performing high throughput small angle neutron scattering (SANS) as well as enabling the continued development of cutting edge measurement techniques that rely on the manipulation of the neutron spin. In exchange for the significant investment of equipment and knowledge by the Netherlands their neutron scattering community currently receives 30 days of beamtime per year on the instrument.​

See here for Dutch Access call dates and user funding information.