New world-leading research facility for lab-based X-ray computed tomography
05/10/2020
A new National Research Facility (NRF), which represents a £10 million investment over five years from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in laboratory-based X-ray computed tomography (CT), is set to launch in November this year.The NRF will provide access and support for both academia and industry, embracing both first-time users and more experienced researchers running cutting-edge 3D imaging experiments.
Starting on 1 November 2020, the X-ray CT NRF will bring together the capabilities of existing facilities at the University of Manchester, the University of Southampton, University College London (UCL), the University of Warwick and Diamond Light Source. Together, these five partners will provide a unique and diverse shared capability to the UK.
The lab X-ray CT NRF Hub will be hosted within the Henry Royce Institute for advanced materials at the University of Manchester, adopting a similar operational framework and benefiting from business support to help grow the user base. Alongside this, the Henry Royce Institute has dedicated space on the second floor of its new hub building to host a Data Visualisation and Analysis Support Centre to support novice users.
The creation of the lab X-ray CT NRF across the five partners will enable the expansion of X-ray CT capacity and expertise to support investigations in biomedical and life sciences, engineering and physical sciences, environmental sciences, humanities and cultural heritage. The new laboratory will support a range of industrial sectors, from additive manufacturing to civil engineering.
The NRF will also provide training and funded access to imaging facilities at the partner sites, as well as support and expertise to set up experiments and analyse the 3D data. The new equipment will ensure capacity as well as delivering unique new capabilities in X-ray CT.
The lab X-ray CT NRF will be led by Director Dr Tim Burnett at The University of Manchester, who said: “There is so much potential for X-ray imaging to add enormous value to our research and industrial challenges. I am delighted that this National Research Facility will open up access to this equipment but also provide the training, support and skills needed to help everyone exploit this technology. I am very excited about our partnership with Southampton, UCL, Warwick and Diamond Light Source, which will allow us to bring the latest developments in large-sample imaging, metrology, phase contrast imaging and multi-scale and fast in-situ experimentation to the widest possible number of users.”
Dr Andrew Wright, Head of Capital Infrastructure at EPSRC, said: “The X-ray CT facility will be a key component of EPSRC’s network of National Research Facilities, which support our research base to develop cutting-edge techniques and make advances with societal and economic impact.
www.epsrc.ukri.org
