Overview

The Canadian Neutron Long-Range Plan (LRP) is a consultative process currently underway to develop a plan for implementation of the national neutron strategy. The Neutron LRP process is led by the Canadian Institute for Neutron Scattering, which represents neutron users, McMaster University, and Neutrons Canada, which is the institutional steward of the LRP process. The LRP Panel is composed of the LRP organizing committee and the co-chairs of the working groups.

The Neutron LRP will develop a community-supported, comprehensive, specific, and realistic plan for the actions needed in the next decade to rebuild Canada’s capabilities for neutron beams, maintain Canadian leadership in these fields, enable Canadians to address major social and economic challenges, and maximize benefits to Canada. The LRP will identify the critical science questions, and where appropriate, demonstrate alignment with priorities of government and funding agencies.

The resulting Neutron LRP for 2025-2035 will serve as a single unified vision for the highest priority projects and activities. Thus, the LRP process is intended to align the community around a single plan and enable the community to act collectively to implement it. The LRP will enable the community to speak coherently to funders, policy-makers, foreign partners, and others concerning its common needs. It will communicate the strengths of research using neutron beams, identify its benefits to Canada, and position the neutron beam community among other scientific communities that require access to Major Research Facilities.

Scope

The LRP will include a set of recommendations needed to implement the national strategy to rebuild Canada’s capabilities for research using neutron beams (the “national neutron strategy”). The scope of the LRP’s recommendation will cover topics such as:

• Foreign partnerships
• Building on existing domestic infrastructure
• New infrastructure for the future
• Scientific, technical and other professional expertise
• Funding, management and governance frameworks
• Support for research (e.g. user support, training, scholarships, outreach to industry)
• Conduct of the infrastructure program, including EDI, science outreach and communications, knowledge mobilization and technology transfer)

The LRP will consider all user needs, covering multiple sectors (industry, government, and academic), disciplines (physics, chemistry, life sciences, health, engineering, archaeology), and all neutron techniques that Canadians require.

The LRP will consider multiple time frames:

• Short term (present to 2025), e.g. establishing first partnerships and domestic user facilities
• Medium term (2025-2030), e.g. establishing a full infrastructure program
• Long-term (beyond 2030), e.g. major investment in a new ‘flagship’ facility