RCaH - Science case
The Science Case presented to RCUK described the needs for the life sciences and the physical sciences. This case was informed by consultation with the scientific community.
The full science case is available for reading and download
Users of Diamond, ISIS and the Central Laser Facility will increasingly wish to carry out more complicated experiments. Many users’ programmes will be completely transformed by access to well-equipped facilities for sample preparation and characterisation, both before and after analysis. Experience at other synchrotrons around the world has shown that research facilities close to the source have allowed visiting and resident research teams to achieve remarkable advances, benefiting from close collaboration with the beamline scientists and other technical experts at the facility.
It is intended that research programmes within the Research Complex will focus on major and challenging areas that can best be addressed by proximity to the facilities on site. Some of the areas of strategic importance where more work is needed, and where advances could have enormous impact and high pay-off were cited as
- structural studies on membrane proteins;
- high throughput functional structural genomics related to disease and enzyme mechanisms;
- biological imaging;
- catalysis;
- drug development and delivery;
- matter under extreme conditions;
- chemical processing;
- surface and nanoscience, and;
- energy research.
Note: the above should not be viewed as an exclusive list. They were just some specific examples that were used in drafting the science case at the time. Other areas of science that might benefit from being located in the Research Complex that are not included here will of course be considered.
Consultation
A consultation workshop was held in July 2003 attended by potential users and research funders. Those present at the workshop agreed on the need for a Research Complex at Harwell to support Diamond, and this was seen as an important opportunity to create a world-leading facility in the UK. The workshop report and a questionnaire was circulated widely to Synchrotron and ISIS users and posted on the Diamond website. Respondents were asked to rate their level of priority they afforded to the workshop recommendations as well as to comment on their own requirements for space. A summary of the responses to the workshop conclusions and recommendations, and the questionnaire were used by the Project and Operations Board as a basis for developing the science case.
Respondents confirmed there was strong support for the vision of a single Research Complex housing sufficient long- and medium-term research programmes in both life and physical sciences to provide critical mass. 99 per cent of respondents were potential users with 88 per cent envisaging themselves as possible users of the Research Complex.
