In innovation, the right instrument is needed for the right question – and not just the right type of instrument, but also the right quality of instrument. While this may seem an obvious observation, many analytical scientists are somewhat bound to a specific (set of) instrument(s). The more comprehensive the research question, the more comprehensive - and often expensive – the instrumentation required. The Netherlands – COAST participants in particular – already harbors most high-end and/or experimental equipment that any ambitious analytical scientist might need. The overall quality and effectiveness of analytical research and hence innovation in the Netherlands will be increased by making this wealth of superior equipment available to scientists beyond the borders of the organization that owns it.
To address these challenges, the COAST Infrastructure efforts focus on two lines:
- Instrumentation sharing: making high-end analytical equipment available to other COAST participants; To this end we maintain an overview of unique or rare instruments in our participants' labs. Link to the Instrumentation overview;
- Pushing the boundaries of analytical science by stimulating the development of high-end facilities with unsurpassed analytical capabilities. COAST is partner in innovative projects such as uNMR-NL (Grid) and Smart*Light.