UK XFEL Conceptual Design and Options Analysis Launched at Royal Society

UK Research and Innovation has released £3.2m to fund a UK XFEL Conceptual Design and Options Analysis as part of a major investment in future UK research and innovation infrastructures. This new study, which started on 1st October 2022 and will run for three years, will evaluate a number of options to enable UK researchers' access to next generation XFEL capability as articulated in the UK XFEL Science Case. As well as evaluating a new facility based in the UK, the study will also evaluate the options of investing in overseas facilities to enhance their current capabilities and capacity. Following the announcement, the project team, largely based at STFC Daresbury Laboratory, has developed a detailed plan and timeline. The science team, which drafted the Science Case, has already been expanded and engagement with the facility designers has stepped up to discuss in detail the capabilities that UK researchers require from a next generation XFEL. The project was formally launched at a public event at the Royal Society in London on 30th January 2023. Reports on the launch have been published in Physics World and Chemistry World. A series of workshops on the science and technology that will enabled by a next generation XFEL will be held around the UK over the next two years to inform the refresh of the science case and to ensure the facility designers fully understand the user requirements.