LINXS at Almedalen: “We need to highlight what LINXS can do for Swedish universities”
Martin Stankovski and Anna Ntinidou returned from Almedalen in Visby in July with a number of reflections from listening and participating in panels discussing the future of Sweden’s research infrastructures.
– The need for long-term funding of MAX IV and ESS was highlighted at all the panels, says Anna Ntinidou, Head of Administration at LINXS. Everyone is in agreement that Sweden and its universities need to make the most of these large infrastructures. Part of that work is to develop long term strategies for funding, both at university and national level, to ensure that we create a scientific competitive advantage.
Martin Stankovski, strategic developer at LINXS, adds: Universities, funding organisations and politicians are now moving in the right direction. This is an important first step. But it’s also obvious that we need better coordination between universities and funding organisations, especially since Vetenskapsrådet and Vinnova have been tasked by the government to come up with a support strategy to support research infrastructures in Sweden.
From LINXS’ perspective there are many take-home messages according to Martin Stankovski and Anna Ntinidou, not least the importance of highlighting what LINXS can offer in terms of enhancing existing and new user communities, promoting research in x-rays and neutrons, networking and bringing people together.
– This is an opportunity to highlight what we can do for Swedish universities. We need to get an idea of how to engage with them in an optimal way. Maybe it will involve working more closely with nodes at different higher education institutes. We are now looking forward to continuing the many discussions that we have had in Almedalen. As a continuation we are planning events at various Swedish universities jointly organised by local researchers and LINXS. The aim of these is to probe and increase the potential user base for MAX IV and ESS in Sweden.
Martin Stankovski mentions LINXS workshop, X-ray Fluorescence imaging - how to plan and execute the perfect experiment, as an example of an activity which he would like to see being replicated elsewhere. The workshop brought together researchers who had not considered using the techniques available at MAX IV and ESS before, and resulted in the launch of new collaborations and a new transdisciplinary working group, geoarcheology.
Martin Stankovski, Marianne Sommarin, Styrelseordförande, MAX IV, Pia Kinhult, Head of Host States Relations, ESS, and Kajsa M Paulsson, researcher at the Medical Faculty at Lund University, speaking at the panel, Från ord till handling kring forskningsanläggningarna i Lund och det svenska innovationssystemet, at Almedalen 2019.