Electron and X-ray microscopy Community for structural and chemical Imaging Techniques for Earth materials

Project Information

EXCITE

Grant agreement ID: 101005611

DOI

10.3030/101005611

Project closed

EC signature date 11 March 2021

Start date 1 May 2021

End date 30 April 2024

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Research Infrastructures

Total cost

€ 4 999 635,50

EU contribution

€ 4 999 635,50

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EXCITE (Electron and X-ray microscopy Community for structural and chemical Imaging Techniques for Earth materials)

Reporting period: 2022-11-01 to 2024-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Understanding earth materials is critical to creating a sustainable, carbon-neutral society due to their involvement in many vital processes. For example, earth materials control subsurface energy storage and extraction feasibility and are a source of critical elements. However, perturbations to geological systems can also result in hazards, such as human-induced earthquakes. Therefore, we urgently need to make multi-scale, multi-dimensional characterisations of earth materials available to a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines to tackle these pressing sustainable development questions. In addition to the societal relevant topics, the properties of earth materials determine how the Earth works on the most fundamental level. The EXCITE Network has united 15 European electron and X-ray microscopy facilities to overcome this challenge. The project enables access to high-end microscopy facilities and joins the knowledge and experience from the different institutions.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The initial goal of the EXCITE Network was to build access management infrastructures to microscopy facilities and build a community of users. Hence, the network has invested much effort to establish infrastructure access processes and brand EXCITE using online media tools. A webpage was developed, social media channels were established, and workshops were held to promote EXCITE to a broad academic and industrial network. Moreover, EXCITE sought personal contact with users by presenting at conferences with interactive booths.

Once EXCITE was established as a starting community, the focus was on promoting transnational access to the facilities and forward joint research projects aiming to further the user experience and abilities during and post-access research. As such, more than 160 projects have already been granted access to the EXCITE facilities during two rounds of calls performing leading-edge science addressing questions from the origin of our solar system to the storage of hydrogen in the subsurface.

Joint research projects have focused on multi-scale imaging problems and incorporating machine-learning approaches into everyday research and development. The results of the joint research projects have already been communicated to a broad audience using various communication channels, from scientific conferences and publications to social media and industrial meetings.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Progress beyond state-of-the-art has been made in several instances. On the one hand, scientific results obtained by facility users commonly have gone beyond the state of the art, answering critical scientific questions concerning the behavior of earth materials. On the other hand, joint research projects within the immediate EXCITE Network, such as developing machine-learning algorithms to analyse chemical data obtained via electron microscopy, have pushed the facilities' capabilities beyond the state of the art. Moreover, the establishment of virtual computing infrastructures for post-facility access research is beyond state of the art enabling users to continue with their research back at their host institutions. We anticipate that the EXCITE Network will provide continuous access to users wanting to address key geoscientific questions of both societal and fundamental relevance. As such, the EXCITE Network has established itself as a cornerstone of European and global geoscience, shaping today's research for a better sustainable future.

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