Mediators can help industry get the most out of its beam time

Commercial use of big science facilities depends on companies able to bridge gaps in expertise. Policymakers should support them, says Olof Hallonsten.

Large, multidisciplinary research infrastructures are becoming increasingly common in European science systems. In particular, particle accelerators that produce X-rays or neutrons are helping tens of thousands of European scientists working in physics, biology and environmental sciences to probe the structure of materials. They are important to interdisciplinary fields such as materials science, including nanotechnology.

This dramatic increase in the use of accelerators has led to many users with little or no experience in operating such complex instrumentation. These users place new demands on facilities. Alongside this, instruments and experimental techniques are growing more sophisticated and complex; data analysis and interpretation, for example, require highly specialised expertise and skill.