Important step towards new NanoLab at Science Village

The location for NanoLab Science Village has been identified for a long time and the plan was approved by the City of Lund in 2018. The Board of the Faculty of Engineering, LTH, has now decided to move on in the process of establishing a NanoLab at Brunnshög. As a natural step, the Dean of LTH has assigned LU Byggnad to carry out a market survey followed by a procurement.– We look forward to continuing the preparations, and see this as a natural development of LTH. The Board still needs more documentation and by proceeding with the procurement process we can obtain more reliable financial conditions, says Viktor Öwall, Dean of LTH.

Preconditions for research and developmentAccording to the plans, NanoLab Science Village will be ready by 2025. It will then replace the current clean room for nanofabrication in the Department of Physics which was inaugurated in 2007, which is the basis for the strong development of nanoscience and nanotechnology research at Lund University within NanoLund. The lab also represents an important resource for many other groups within Lund University, institutes and companies. The current lab has more than 150 users and is a node of the national infrastructure Myfab.

 – Our existing lab has become too small and can no longer accommodate the rapid development, neither in terms of the number of users nor the growing demands on performance. The new lab will be absolutely crucial to our ability to enable research and development at the forefront, says Luke Hankin, head of the lab.

A strategic decisionThe construction of NanoLab Science Village in Brunnshög is estimated to cost about SEK 300 million. The next step after the procurement will be a detailed negotiation of the building’s design in relation to the cost. Financing is not yet complete, and in the meantime, NanoLund’s and the University’s efforts continue to secure financing for both building, equipment and operations.

– This is a strategic decision and in addition a first step to establish Lund university at Brunnshög. Someone needs to lead to get the process started, but we will need to work on many fronts to secure the financing, says Viktor Öwall.

The ability to conduct unique experimentsNanoLab Science Village will be located close to MAX IV and within walking distance of ESS. The lab will, among other things, manufacture advanced materials – an important complement to MAX IV and ESS, which is about examining and characterizing materials.

 – One goal is to be able to conduct unique experiments that require sample preparation immediately before the experiment, perhaps in several rounds. In addition, we want to be able to meet the needs for both sample preparation and complementary characterization for the thousands of guest researchers who will come to MAX IV and ESS every year, says Heiner Linke, director of NanoLund.