The potential of the Spanish candidacy has always been the creation of an R&D strategy as a key part of the project based on a firm commitment to international scientific cooperation with the most important centres of excellence in the world.
The R&D scheme comprises a series of global and coherent actions on an international scale focused on three key aspects:
- A network of highly qualified collaborators in the construction of large science facilities.
- A clear definition of the lines of research to be followed that will best contribute to capitalising on the experience of collaborators in order to modernise the design of the Neutron Source that will be built in Lund.
- Signing international cooperation agreements with the most important centres of research worldwide to achieve knowledge exchanges with the science community.
This program encompasses the following lines of research:
- Conceptual design of accelerators in parametric form
- Construction of an accelerator test stand
- Adaptation and manufacturing of superconducting cavity prototypes
- Provision of key components for accelerators and supply of RF power to international research centres.
- Development of rotating solid targets and liquid mercury targets
- Development of neutron instrumentation
ESS-Bilbao has signed technological cooperation agreements with the following centres of excellence:
- ISIS – Oxford, United Kingdom
- SNS - Spallation Neutron Source, Knoxville, EE.UU.
- CERN - Geneva, Switzerland
- IPN – Institute of Nuclear Physics, France
- INFN – National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Italy
- CEA/CNRS – France
- ILL – High Flux Reactor Source, Grenoble, France
- FZJ – Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
- PSI – Paul Scherrer Insititute, Switzerland
The Bilbao's office will be entirely independent of the ESS. For this reason, the centre will provide research and technological development services to other projects and international centres such as those listed above.