Industry as a supplier Workshop

Location: ICNS, Edinburgh, Scotland
Date: July 9, 2013
Organiser: NMI3
Presentations: here (access to NMI3 members only).

Participants at NMI3 Industry Workshop at ICNS

Participants at the NMI3 Industry Workshop at ICNS

Description

The industry as a supplier workshop took place as part of ICNS on Tuesday afternoon, July 9, 2013 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The meeting brought together suppliers of key equipment for neutron and muon instruments with people from the facilities who are responsible for purchasing and procurement and the clients who are the facility engineers and scientists.

For the suppliers, the meeting focused on the collective, European need for specific equipment considering the opportunities of a bigger, European market but also the difficulties that this may engender, like national regulations on procurement that differ between countries. Speakers presented successes and difficulties, covering the provision of a range of components for detectors, choppers, cryogenics, guides, etc.

For facilities, the value of a collective approach to the provision of equipment is in guaranteeing a long-term, stable supply and in ensuring that technology continues to be developed, both in industry and the facilities, through co-innovation and/or technology transfer. Scientists and engineers from the facilities projected from existing interaction with industry to future needs while, from several facilities, purchasing officers, at the interface between the facility clients and the suppliers, highlighted how procurement varies within Europe.

The European Commission was represented and informed participants on how industry and facilities will be encouraged to work together in Horizon 2020.

This short meeting therefore brought together an audience of 30-40 people from industry, the facilities and the European Commission around a dozen short presentations on different aspects of 'industry supplying facilities'. The meeting concluded with a round -table discussion involving all participants.