The 3rd edition of the NEPHEWS Virtual Training will take place on Monday May 11th and Tuesday May 12th 2026. Registration could be made on the NEPHEWS website : https://beamtime.eu/virtual-trainings/ and posts on LinkedIn.
The two day virtual training available for NEPHEWS should be considered essential as a guide to new users. About 60% of the topics are repeated with some changed materials from earlier Virtual Training event, but in this edition there are new topics on synchrotron based Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS), an expanded presentation on synchrotron based X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy (XPS) inclusive of Ambient Pressure XPS (AP-XPS), and a Case study on Angle Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES) of quantum materials. Further there is another Case study on High Pressure Science at the EuXFEL.
Repeated topics in the training are introductions on writing proposals for these photon and neutron research infrastructures as well as a guide to the Synchrotron and FEL Light Source and Neutron Facility landscapes in Europe. For further information or inquiries related to NEPHEWS activities and opportunities, interested users may contact Dr Gihan Kamel, SESAME representative within the NEPHEWS initiative.
The intention of the NEPHEWS Virtual Trainings is to focus on potential new and non-expert users, both beginning PhD students and those established scientists not yet conversant with the techniques.
The Case Studies allow for a user new to the technique to understand the process from conception of the experiment to proposal stage, to preparation stage, to the performance of the experiment, the data acquisition, analysis and publication.
The previous Case Studies from February 2025 are online on the NEPHEWS channel - the synchrotron case study from Greece and the neutron case study from Finland
The Virtual Training programme will include details of the support programmes including Twinning opportunities. This is a rolling/continuous call and allocation of Twinning places may occur throughout the year.
NEPHEWS (Neutrons and Photons Elevating Worldwide Science) is a Horizon Europe project that brings together Europe’s leading neutron, synchrotron, and free-electron laser facilities to provide coordinated, user-driven access to advanced research infrastructures. It aims to broaden participation by supporting new and less-experienced users, particularly from Ukraine, and Africa, through funded beamtime, training, mobility, and outreach activities. By integrating major European consortia such as LEAPS and LENS and working closely with user organisations, NEPHEWS promotes transnational collaboration, capacity building, and excellence in curiosity-driven research across the global PaN community.