The European Spallation Source is a Partnership of 17 European Nations committed to the goal of collectively building and operating the world's leading facility for research using neutrons by the second quarter of the 21st Century

The European Spallation Source (ESS) aims to be the brightest source of neutrons in the world for scientific research. By the end of this decade it will be generating long pulses of neutrons. These will be used in parallel experiments that will foster major advances from aging and health, materials technology for sustainable and renewable energy, to experiments in quantum physics, biomaterials and nano-science.

The ESS will be located in Lund, Sweden, co-hosted by both Sweden and Denmark and will be funded and operated by a partnership of 17 European countries. The ESS and our partners are currently engaged in a technical design review that will act as the blue-print for the construction of ESS to start in 2013 and to become operational in 2019.

At full specification, to be achieved in 2025, the ESS will deliver millisecond-long pulses of intense neutron beams at a power of 5 MW, to 22 independent experimental stations. ESS will employ approximately 500 people. It will be an international facility with researchers coming to use ESS from all around the world. The European neutron community numbers around 6000 individuals. On the same site, 5km to the north-east of Lund, the high brightness synchrotron radiation source MAX IV will be built. ESS and MAX IV are complementary in many ways and will together have the potential to turn Lund into a key centre for materials science in the world.

Being built on a green field site, ESS is exploring opportunities to create a new model of large scientific facilities which are fully sustainable and which harvest innovations for the benefit of the whole society.

ESS has two lines of governance – a Board which is the legal supervisory body of ESS AB, the Swedish public company within which ESS operates, and a Steering Committee that brings together delegates from the 17 partner countries. The ESS AB company is set up by a decision of the Swedish government and an agreement with the Danish government. The Steering Committee operates under the umbrella of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Paris on 3rd February 2011. Together these two bodies take responsibility for the administrative, financial and scientific framework of the growing organisation.