Who we are
Who we are
CERIC is a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) integrating and providing open access to some of the most advanced analytical facilities in Europe to help science and industry advance in all fields of materials, biomaterials and nanotechnology, with a focus on energy materials and life sciences. With a single entry point to some of the leading national research infrastructures in 8 European countries, it enables the delivery of innovative solutions to societal challenges in the fields of energy, health, food, cultural heritage and more.
CERIC Partner Facilities
The Austrian facility (RE: Graz University of Technology) is dedicated to the structural characterization of nanosystems with scattering techniques covering topics such as advanced materials, (bio-)polymers, proteins in solids, surfaces, liquids and in the gas phase. The facility provides access to its light and X-ray scattering laboratories, as well as to the Austrian SAXS beamline and Deep X-ray Lithography beamline, both at Elettra.
Director:
Heinz Amenitsch
Austrian CERIC Partner Facility:
Scattering at the Graz University of Technology
Stremayrgasse 9/V
A-8010 Graz
Austria
The Croatian facility (RE: Ruđer Bošković Institute) develops and allows access to ion beam techniques for materials’ modification and characterisation, such as PIXE and RBS, as well as a heavy ion microprobe, dual beam irradiation chamber with RBS/channeling, and TOF ERDA spectrometer.
Director:
Zdravko Siketic
Croatian CERIC Partner Facility:
Ion beams at the Ruđer Bošković Institute
Bijenička cesta 54
10000 Zagreb
Croatia
The Czech facility (RE: Charles University Prague) has expertise in surface analysis, thin film growth and studies of the reaction mechanism on catalyst surfaces. It offers Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS, XPD, ARUPS) with Low Energy Ion Scattering Spectroscopy and LEED, Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscope, Near Ambient Pressure XPS and access to the Materials Science Beamline at synchrotron Elettra dedicated to soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and NEXAFS.
Director:
Iva Matolinová
Czech CERIC Partner Facility:
Surface analysis Charles University Prague
V Holešovičkách 747/2
CZ-180 00 Praha 8 – Libeň
Czech Republic
The Hungarian facility (RE: Eötvös Lóránd Research Network, Centre for Energy Research, EK-CER) performs R&D in nuclear science and technology, studying the interaction of radiation with matter and doing isotope and nuclear chemistry, radiography and radiation chemistry, surface chemistry and catalysis (PGAA, NAA, RAD). Neutron scattering instruments allow investigation of microscopic properties of solids, liquids, soft materials, biological objects and condensed matter (PSD, SANS, TOF, GINA, MTEST, BIO, TAST).
Director:
Tamas Belgya
Hungarian CERIC Partner Facility:
Neutrons at the Budapest Neutron Centre
Konkoly-Thege st. 29-33
1121 Budapest
Hungary
The Italian facility (RE: Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste) covers a wide range of experimental techniques and scientific fields, including photoemission, spectromicroscopy, crystallography, dichroic absorption spectroscopy, x-ray imaging etc.
Director:
Marco Marazzi
Italian CERIC Partner Facility:
Synchrotron beamlines at Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A.
S.S. 14 – Km 163,5 in AREA Science Park
34149 – Basovizza, Trieste
Italy
The Polish facility (RE: Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education) offers five beamlines at the National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS, operating in the range of radiation from UV to hard X-ray, providing various experimental techniques. At the PIRX beamline, the Users can exploit X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the soft X-ray range. The main technique at the URANOS beamline is Angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES). The PHELIX beamline is dedicated mainly for Photoemission spectroscopy (PES) but also ARPES and XAS techniques are available. The DEMETER beamline offers two end stations: Scanning transmission X-ray microscope (STXM) and Photoemission electron microscope (PEEM). The ASTRA beamline is X-ray absorption spectroscopy infrastructure operating at tender and high energy range. All together all beamlines provide possibility for samples characterization in many scientific fields with surface and bulk sensitivity. Additionally, the SOLARIS Centre makes available state-of-the-art Krios™ G3i Cryo-Transmission Electron Microscope for life science researchers. The microscope enables high-resolution structural analyses of frozen hydrated specimens.
Director:
Marek J. Stankiewicz
Polish CERIC Partner Facility:
Synchrotron beamlines at SOLARIS
Jagiellonian University
National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS
Czerwone Maki 98
30-392Kraków
Poland
The Romanian facility (RE: National Institute of Materials Physics) has HRTEM and EPR laboratories for research in solid state physics and materials science, including the synthesis and characterization of advanced materials for applications in microelectronics, catalysis, energy industry and ICT.
Director:
Ionut Enculescu
Romanian CERIC Partner Facility:
Electron microscopy and EPR at the National Institute of Materials Physics
105bis Atomistilor str.
Bucharest, Magurele
PO Box MG-7, zip code 077125
Romania
The Slovenian facility (RE: National Institute of Chemistry) offers NMR spectroscopy for chemical analysis and identification, for determining 3D structures and studying the dynamics of small and larger bio-macro-molecules, for tracking chemical reactions in analytical and bioanalytical procedures, for studying polycrystallinity and identifying metabolites and various amorphous forms.
Director:
Janez Plavec
Slovenian CERIC Partner Facility:
NMR at the National Institute of Chemistry
Hajdrihova 19
P. O. B. 660
SI-1001 Ljubljana
Slovenia
Each Member country appoints one Representing Entity (RE), and contributes to CERIC by making available and supporting a high-quality Partner Facility. The Partner Facilities are strongly complementary to each other, allowing the integrated use of analytical and modification techniques based on microscopic probes for nano-level science and technology. Available methods include NMR, X-ray electron spectroscopy and light scattering, ion beam analysis, high-resolution electron microscopy, X-ray electron spectroscopy, materials’ analysis using synchrotron radiation and neutron beams.
CERIC Associated Facilities
CERIC open access offer keeps expanding. In the latest years, following the evaluation of the ISTAC of CERIC, new Associated Facilities have joined the Consortium, including the following:
- JRC Fuel Cell and Electrolyser Testing facility (FCTEST) in Petten (of the European Commission, located in The Netherlands), which allows testing of low and high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell and electrolysis test stations in single cell and stack.
- JRC Battery Energy Storage Testing Laboratory (BESTEST) in Petten (of the European Commission, located in The Netherlands), which features state-of-the-art equipped facilities for analyzing performance of battery materials and devices by cycling them under controlled environmental conditions (such as temperature and relative humidity).
- JRC Nanobiotechnology Laboratory in Ispra (of the European Commission, located in Italy), allowing interdisciplinary studies with a special emphasis on the characterisation of nanomaterials, nanomedicines, advanced materials and micro(nano)plastics. The facility is also equipped with a chemistry laboratory and facilities for the sample preparation necessary to carry out the experiments. The provided service also includes scientific and technical support, thanks to a multidisciplinary team of scientists, including chemists, physicists, biologists, and materials scientists with extensive experience in the fields of physico-chemical characterisation of materials and nanobiosciences.
- Bio Open Lab (BOL) is a collection of facilities distributed across universities and institutes at three centres in Italy – in Salento, Salerno and Trieste – that aims to provide an integrated system of research equipment and instruments dedicated to investigations in the field of biological and biomedical research.
- X-ray absorption spectroscopy beamline at CNR@ESRF (Italian beamline located in France)
- Ultraviolet Laser Facility of the Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (ULF-FORTH) in Greece
Open and Commercial Access
Access to all CERIC facilities is open to researchers from all over the world through the submission of single- or multi-technique proposals to the two calls for proposals launched every year. A peer review evaluation system guarantees a competitive free access to the more than 60 multi-probe techniques available. The only condition for free open access is publication of the results of the experiments.
Commercial users can also request access to CERIC, which is granted on market-based conditions.
The scientific quality of the infrastructure is ensured by the periodical evaluation of all laboratories by an international independent expert body, the International Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (ISTAC) of CERIC.