About the infrastructure
NordSIMS-Vegacenter is a national infrastructure funded by the Swedish Research Council for (micro)analytical and microimaging research in the earth, environmental and planetary sciences. Its principle scientific goal is to enrich and advance the global knowledge in these fields via groundbreaking geochemical and isotope investigations of the widest possible range of samples using state-of-the-art analytical instrumentation. NordSIMS-Vegacenter builds on the two established infrastructures at NRM (the NordSIMS ion microprobe laboratory, and the Vegacenter for laser-ablation and solution ICP mass spectrometry; merged in 2018), as well as complementary NRM facilities for advanced environmental electron microscopy, micro-Raman and thermal ionisation mass spectrometry and clean-laboratory sample processing. Access to the infrastructure can be applied for via a single project call, regardless of whether users aspire to use a single instrument or whether they plan a sequence of analyses using several instruments. Applications are evaluated for feasibility by the facility managers and for scientific merit by an external steering committee. This ensures that researchers can achieve their research goals in cutting-edge science by using the most appropriate tool(s). By hosting such a wide range of facilities under one roof, NordSIMS-Vegacenter is unique in the Nordic realm and rare in the world. Through its diverse analytical strengths, the infrastructure provides Swedish and international researchers in the earth, environmental and planetary sciences, as well as in the biological and archeological sciences, with an unparalleled ability to drive innovation in these fields, train their students in research excellence, and develop collaborative links for the future.
Facilities
NordSIMS-Vegacenter is located in the Department of Geosciences at the Swedish Museum of Natural History in Stockholm. The infrastructure provides the Swedish Geoscience community with state-of-the-art microbeam analytical technology focused on in situ material analysis at the micron scale. Such techniques are essential to a wide range of research topics in the geosciences today, permitting both fundamental and innovative investigation of chemical and isotopic composition of both natural (minerals, fossils, etc.) and synthetic materials. Our goal is to create an internationally competitive facility and establish Sweden as a clear leader in micro-analysis that supports high quality and high profile science.