NEP research infrastructure (RI) (www.nffa.eu) is regularly operating and, including access provided under the previous NFFA-Europe grant, has reached the 31st call for proposals that makes overall more than 1700 experiments and 7630 units of access (8 hours) delivered.
An amendment has been requested and approved for extending by one year the activity of NEP that will ensure the execution of access by all outstanding projects, including those of the last call of July 2025 that registered over 100 new proposals.
The user pressure has been high throughout the NEP grant with a peak on the last call that represents the worries of risk of discontinuity of service in case new suitable TA support would be delayed. The service to the user community has been regular with the exception of neutron availability, still unexpectedly missing due to the very long shutdown of MLZ. The reduction of access to synchrotron radiation methods due to the upgrade shutdowns of several sources in the consortium has been compensated by enrollment of new providers (Aarhus Universitet).
The science merit selection of users' proposals by the Access Review Panel (ARP), after the feasibility assessment by the Technical Liaison Network (TLNet), confirms a rate of success of about 61%, somewhat higher than physiological. NFFA has been deposited as registered mark that will also accompany the exploitation of any result, including the SEP platform.
The IDRIN design-while-operating programme is ongoing, as well as the piloting of FAIR-by-design technology development. To this aim, benefits to NEP community came indirectly from the independent facility upgrade that was obtained by Italian partners through the NRRP, which focused on digitalization of the RI. NEP partners have applied to OSCARS calls for specific developments, and have drafted a proposal to INFRA-2025-SERV-01 (NEDI) to be submitted by the deadline of September 2025, also focused on digital developments of the RI offer and operation.
