Inward investment in UK science and technology received a boost today (Friday 2 July) with the signing of an agreement to extend one of the largest research collaboration projects between the UK and Japan until 2018. The seven and a half year extension of the partnership between the Japanese research institute, RIKEN and the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) enables vital research to continue in areas such as superconducting materials for computing and medical technology and the science underpinning fusion energy.

The agreement, which was signed at a celebratory event at STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in Oxfordshire, builds on 20 years of collaboration between scientists and engineers at the RIKEN Nishina Centre for Accelerator-based Science in Japan and the ISIS Neutron and Muon Facility (link opens in a new window) at RAL. To date, this collaboration has resulted in tens of millions of pounds of investment into ISIS by RIKEN over the 20 year period.

Other projects include detecting the signatures of fusion energy (muon-catalysed fusion) to underpin the science behind the search for generating alternative, clean energy and, in collaboration with Toyota Central R&D Labs., increasing our understanding of how the charge moves around in laptop and mobile phone battery materials.

The extension of the partnership will also enable the operation of a unique instrument at the RIKEN-RAL facility – the Chronus Spectrometer-which will make it easier for scientists to study materials under extreme conditions of pressure and temperature using muons. The spectrometer will be especially useful for studying organic LEDs which are used in camera and mobile phone devices to make the images brighter and to produce thinner displays.

The signing of the new agreement today included a keynote lecture by Professor Noyori entitled ‘Science and Technology for Future Generations’ followed by presentations and tours of ISIS and the RIKEN-RAL Muon facility.

Source: STFC website