The Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) ISIS Neutron and Muon Source (ISIS) and the National Research Council of Italy, or Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), have a long-standing and successful partnership.
In 2024, the two organisations celebrated 40 years of collaboration through events at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the UK and in Rome.
Within this partnership, some 12 neutron and muon instruments at ISIS have been constructed for the benefit of the UK, Italian and wider research communities.
New instruments and upgrades
Under the new agreement, signed in Rome on 18 February 2025, a significant upgrade to the Tosca instrument at ISIS will be undertaken.
Tosca enables the study of catalysts, hydrogen storage materials and other advanced materials for a wide variety of applications.
The original Tosca instrument was constructed in partnership with the CNR and the upgrade will see the instrument able to take data many times faster, opening up new science areas.
The development of Tosca is part of the ISIS Endeavour Programme, a 10-year project to build four new instruments at ISIS and significantly upgrade five further instruments. Further information on the Tosca+ project can be found on the ISIS website.
Latest in a long history of projects
Signing the agreement on behalf of STFC, Roger Eccleston, STFC Executive Director Large Scale Facilities, said:
Our partnership with the CNR has been long-lasting and highly beneficial. The developments enabled by our new agreement are the latest in a long history of projects that have brought UK and Italian scientists together to produce excellent science and instrumentation.
Maria Chiara Carrozza, President of the CNR, commented:
Working together with ISIS ensures Italian scientists have access to neutron and muon instrumentation that is world-class. We are very pleased to be participating in the upgrade of Tosca, which will in turn enable excellent academic and industrial science. We are looking forward to many further years of UK-Italy science partnership.
Further information
The CNR is the largest public research institution in Italy.
The CNR’s mission is to:
- perform research in its own institutes
- promote innovation and competitiveness of the national industrial system
- promote the internationalisation of the national research system
- provide technologies and solutions to emerging public and private needs
- advise government and other public bodies
- to contribute to the qualification of human resources
The CNR comprises more than 8,000 employees, of whom more than half are researchers and technologists. Some 4,000 young researchers are engaged in postgraduate studies and research training at the CNR within the organisation’s top-priority areas of interest.
A significant contribution also comes from research associates: researchers from universities or private firms who take part in the CNR’s research activities.
Top image: Roger Eccleston, Executive Director National Labs Large Scale Facilities, STFC (left) and Giuseppe Colpani, Director General, CNR (right) sign the Tosca+ agreement in Rome on 18 February 2025. Credit: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source
