IMPRESS (Interoperable electron Microscopy Platform for advanced RESearch and Services) is an ambitious project that addresses a major evolution in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) from a laboratory technique to a broad-impact advanced analytical method that is capable of unprecedented integrated experiments and user-driven innovation. A central objective is the development of concepts and the construction of prototypes for ground-breaking new TEM instrumentation with unique flexibility and interoperability of customized sample environments, creating radically improved services for users of analytical research infrastructures (RIs) and business opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
IMPRESS will overcome the limitations imposed by state-of-the-art TEM column and component manufacturers by developing a new concept for TEM instrumentation that will be based on a standardized cartridge-based platform hosting new experiments that are currently not feasible on commercial instruments, inspired by open science principles.
IMPRESS also involves the development of new electron sources with enhanced beam properties and electron-optical performance, new electron-optical elements and electron detectors for advanced imaging and spectroscopy and new sample environments for in situ/operando experiments with multiple stimuli, as well as new simulation capabilities and automation of experiments that exploit artificial intelligence (AI) approaches. By the end of the project, these developments will be integrated with the new cartridge-based platform, in order to make them widely available to all users of RIs and all other owners of TEMs.
IMPRESS is an initiative of e-DREAM, the European Distributed REsearch infrastructure for Advanced electron Microscopy consortium, which has recently been established to promote cooperation between European-level electron microscopy infrastructure providers, collaborative research and transnational user programmes. It builds on the highly successful Integrated Infrastructure projects ESTEEM and NFFA. IMPRESS will exploit synergies and collaboration with five RIs of European dimension: CERIC, Euro BioImaging (E-B), ELI and the synchrotrons SOLEIL and ALBA2 for the benefit of users from diverse scientific communities