Danish-Swedish partnership for ESS in Scandinavia

The Swedish and Danish Ministers of Research today signed the formal agreement on Danish-Swedish co-hosting of the pan-European research facility ESS. With the Danish contribution of 1,4 billion DKK (190 M€), announced today in Copenhagen, the Scandinavian bid is getting stronger and stronger.

The European Spallation Source will be the world’s most powerful research facility for materials research and life science with neutrons, and the goal is to build it in Lund in southern Scandinavia.

In Copenhagen today, the Danish Minister of Science, Technology and Development Helge Sander and the Swedish Minister of Higher Education and Research Lars Leijonborg shook hands and signed the formal agreement between the two governments on co-hosting of the research facility in Lund.

Denmark will contribute with 12,5 % of the ESS construction cost, corresponding to 1,4 billion Danish crowns or around 190 million euros. With the Swedish contribution of 30 %, a total of 42,5 % of the ESS construction cost is now covered. Together, the Danish and Swedish governments will intensify discussions with the neighbouring countries, and will work towards rapidly attaining a total of 50 % from the Nordic-Baltic Platform.

- I am delighted that our one year negotiation process has concluded so positively. The Danish contribution represents one eighth of the total construction cost, says Colin Carlile, Director of ESS Scandinavia. From a total Swedish-Danish population of 14 million people, the contribution is substantial, far higher than either of our rival sites.

The agreement is the first formal intergovernmental agreement to be signed on the ESS. It rests on the draft agreement concluded in October 2008, and would see the setting up of the ESS Data Management Centre close to the Niels Bohr Institute of Copenhagen University, benefiting from Danish competence in high-power computing and the Nordic Data Grid.

ESS will be one of the largest European research facilities, existing or planned. Discussions on the ESS siting will take place in the fringes of the EU Competitiveness Council in May. A decision is expected to emerge by early June.

Source ESS Scandinavia