CERIC-ERIC is an integrated multidisciplinary and multiprobe research infrastructure, set up as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) by Austria, Czech Republic, Italy, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and additionally with the support of Croatia, Hungary and Poland. CERIC-ERIC is open to external basic and applied users in the fields of materials, biomaterials and nanotechnology. With a single entry point, it allows the use of excellent facilities in 7 European countries.

CERIC operates as a Consortium and has set up an open-access, single entry-point to one Partner Facility in each Country. All participating laboratories have been evaluated and approved by an international independent expert committee (the International Evaluation Committee, I-EvCo), and will submit to regular evaluations in the future.

Access is free for basic users and commercial for industrial users. Free access is by international peer review selection and open publication, industrial and/or proprietary use is at market cost.

The available equipment and the support staff allow structural investigation, analysis, synthesis and imaging of materials and biomaterials down to nano-scale, using photon, electron, neutron and ion based techniques, and preparation facilities in structural biology, photolithography and materials preparation.

This multi-technique approach gives access and expertise in a wide range of techniques and is very successful in most complex scientific challenges, e.g. in alternative sources of energy and energy storage, biomedical and pharmaceutical materials, food and food conservation, cultural heritage etc.

Both industry and research benefit from access to both standard and cutting-edge techniques and the support of teams of experts. Excellent scientists and industrial liaison officers at a central level and in the partner facilities give advice and training to find the best solutions for new scientific knowledge and industrial innovation.

Source and further information: CERIC