Milestones achieved in the framework of the FRST programme 'Sustaining ion-beam and mass-spectrometry capabilities (IMS)' for the period July 2007-June 2008

The performance of three facilities at the National Isotope Centre is presented and compared against a set of milestone achievement measures that were contracted through the FRST programme 'Sustaining ion-beam and mass-spectrometry capabilities (IMS)'. These facilities are (i) ion beam analysis and nanotechnology, (ii) stable isotope laboratory, and (iii) accelerator mass spectrometry. The first two facilities have performed well as instruments for research during the period July 2007-June 2008: facility equipment was kept in good shape and all capabilities have been maintained, if not improved. In cases where a performance score was lower than expected, as outlined in the IMS contract, some explanation and a path for remedy are given. The AMS facility has suffered two periods of prolonged downtime due to component failure and variable performance, but has recovered since. (author). 1 ref., 2 tables