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Finding the bigger picture

Imaging Earth Matters

The EXCITE Network is a European infrastructure initiative for scientists working on unravelling the secrets of Earth materials by using some of the world’s best electron and X-ray imaging facilities. Curious to see more? We can help you achieve your goals through access to advanced technology, teamwork and open science.

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Our network

The EXCITE Network makes leading-edge research facilities accessible to all Earth scientists. We connect with you, offer access to workshops and webinars, help to prepare your proposals for facility access, and actively support your research goals.

Our 4th call for access will open in June 2023

Open access

Positive impact

Forward science

About EXCITE

The EXCITE Network is a European H2020 infrastructure tailored to advance the imaging of Earth and planetary materials. Twenty-four facilities in nine countries join hands, committed to facilitate your scientific progress and to bring a positive impact on research, industry, and society.

About us

Research

The European EXCITE Network offers you a chance to use both excellent electron and X-ray facilities, and to team up with leading Earth-materials scientists. Develop new collaborations, join cross-disciplinary initiatives and execute progressive electron and X-ray imaging projects that help advance Earth-materials research.

About our research

Creating progress

Excite Belgium

The Expertise Centre for X-ray Tomography (UGCT) at Ghent University in Flanders is the Belgian EXCITE network partner, concentrating on giving access to multi-phase fluid flow experiments, weathering of building materials and geomechanical testing.

Ghent University

Excite France

The National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) participates with the CrystalProbe-Montpellier infrastructure that is hosted by the University of Montpellier. The DMEX Centre for X-ray Imaging at the University of Pau (UPPA) and Laboratoire 3SR of the University of Grenoble offer forward X-ray imaging solutions.

University of Grenoble (UGA)

Centre national de la recherche scientifique – University of Montpellier

Université de Pau et des Pays de L’Adour (UPPA)

Excite Germany

Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden – Rossendorf e.V. (HZDR) and Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ) are EXCITE partners, focusing on sharing 2D and 3D chemical imaging techniques, nanoscale studies of Earth materials, data acquisition and crystallographic analysis.

Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden – Rossendorf e.V. (HZDR)

Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ)

Excite Italy

With the INGV-RM1 Microanalytical, FESEM/EMPA HPHT Lab in Rome and the INGV-OV X-ray microCT lab in Naples, the Italian Istituto Nazionale Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) supports innovative microanalysis, chemical Earth-material research and 3D imaging and quantification.

Istituto Nazionale Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)

Excite Norway

At the University of Oslo (UiO), the nanoCT SkyScan211 and microCT SKyscan 1172 facilities focus on materials application from a multidisciplinary research perspective. The Norwegian Centre for Nanoscale X-ray Tomography (NEXT) of NTNU Trondheim is adding its X-ray imaging expertise to the network.

University of Oslo (UiO)

NTNU Trondheim

Excite Portugal

The Portuguese Universidade da Beira Interior (UBI) gives access to both electron probe microanalyzers at Lisbon (JEOL JXA-8200) and Porto (JEOL JXA-8500F). UBI is participating in EXCITE with third parties LNEG, FCUL and FCUP.[MGt(1] The science teams and facilities support routine mineral chemical analysis, as well as advanced chemical mapping.

Universidade da Beira Interior (UBI)

Excite Spain

The Centro de Instumentación Científica (CIC) at the University of Granada in Spain houses a complete set of analytical equipment and a sample preparation unit, including installations for high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and high-resolution X-ray microtomography.

Centro de Instumentación Científica – University of Granada

Excite The Netherlands

The Dutch UU Electron Microscopy Centre of Utrecht University (UU) and the X-ray Imaging Facility at TU Delft offer modern imaging facilities for nanoscale manipulation and 3D visualization, automated crystallography and mineralogy, and in-situ experimentation.

Utrecht University

TU Delft

Excite UK

The Department of Earth Sciences and the Wolfson Electron Microscopy Suite at the University of Cambridge, support the characterisation of natural and synthetic materials across multiple length scales (millimetres to Ångströms). The University of Edinburg provides access to a custom-built MicroCT microtomography system for experiments and data acquisition.

Cambridge University

University of Edinburgh

Excite Belgium

Excite France

Excite Germany

Excite Italy

Excite Norway

Excite Portugal

Excite Spain

Excite The Netherlands

Excite UK

Transnational access

Would you like to access the EXCITE electron and X-ray imaging facilities? A first call for access will be published in December 2021. The access of the second call is currently ongoing, and the third call just closed. The fourth call is opening in June 2023. Click here if you want to learn more about writing a proposal to gain access.

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The research facilities and scientific support of the EXCITE Network are open to scientists, globally. Even if you work outside the European Union and its associated countries you are welcome to join us.

Proposals

Good science proposals need excellent facilities and science support to become great. The EXCITE Network is offering you exactly that: our electron and X-ray imaging facilities and expert science teams help you deliver cutting-edge research projects, empower you with international collaborations and help you to make the most of your valuable research time.

News

April 19 2023

Come find us at EGU 2023

March 10 2023

EXCITE Third call for access closed

December 15 2022

Transnational Access for Industry and SMEs

Curious to learn more?

Twenty-four European facilities for electron and X-ray microscopy are joining hands. To better understand Earth and planetary materials and to together unveil the secret codes hidden under our feet. Curious? Like to learn more? Interested in gaining access to our EXCITE Imaging facilities? Please enter your email address and be one of the first geoscientists to be informed when we open calls for proposals. Other questions? Contact us here.

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