On September 8th, the ESS in Lund celebrated its historical establishment as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC).

The European Spallation Source is the first ERIC established in Scandinavia and the eleventh in Europe. The transition from ESS AB to this new organizational structure will enable its Partner Countries to participate in the decision-making and direct funding of the research facility. The European Commission’s decision to establish the European Spallation Source ERIC entered into force August 31, 2015.

The European Commission’s Director General for Research and Innovation Robert-Jan Smits and the Swedish and Danish Ministers for Research, Helene Hellmark Knutsson and Esben Lunde Larsen, spoke at the ceremony. During the ceremony the European Commission’s Director General for Research and Innovation Robert-Jan Smits handed over the official ERIC plate to ESS Director General Jim Yeck, to confirm the European Spallation Source ERIC’s legal status.

Source: ESS