Dear Honorary Guests Dear Colleagues past and present

Dear Honorary Guests Dear Colleagues – past and present Dear Friends • The Institut Laue-Langevin was officially founded on 19 January 1967 with the signature of a convention between the French and German governments. The United Kingdom joined in 1974 as ILL’s third Associate. • I would like to thank you for coming in such large numbers to celebrate with us the ILL’s 50 th birthday. • I would particularly like to thank our distinguished guests for honouring us with your presence despite your very busy schedules. This for us is a strong source of motivation for the future. • Seeing you all here with us today not only confirms the ILL’s international reputation but is a show of affection for which we are extremely grateful.

• It is probably safe to say that the pace of change that we have had the privilege to witness over the last 50 years has been historically unprecedented. • It is equally undeniable that the main driving force behind this change has been science. • By penetrating deep into the microcosm, science has revealed the fundamental forces of nature, allowing us to understand manipulate living and non-living matter down to the sub-atomic level. • Science has thus created the basis for the technological explosion that has revolutionised every aspect of our daily lives, from medical care and communications to the very way our societies are organised.

• This technological revolution is not only transforming every aspect of the world we live in. It is also forcing us to reconsider how we respond to the ethical questions that go hand in hand with our ever-increasing power to shape our world. • This response cannot be formulated without taking into consideration the scientific discoveries that have shed new light on humanity’s place in the universe. • After exploring our own planet for millennia, over the last 50 years we have expanded our quest for knowledge both outwards to the very confines of the universe and back in time to its very beginnings.

• As one of the world's leading research institutions, the ILL has played a key role in the scientific adventure over the last 50 years. • What have we achieved? To put it simply, we have contributed with our analytical tools to making physics, chemistry, materials science and biology great. • Over the last 50 years, the ILL has contributed a total of over 20 000 peer reviewed publications. • I do not have time today to describe in detail any of our specific scientific successes but we must never forget one thing: building scientific knowledge is like constructing a cathedral. It takes an enormous amount of stones. Some stones are highly visible, others are hidden deep in the foundations. But all of them are essential.

• What was the recipe of ILL’s success? • The ILL certainly was born under a lucky star. • The project was forged and promoted by some of the most brilliant minds of the time. • The idea of collaborating on the construction of an institute that places Europe at the forefront of neutron science proved to be both highly stimulating and contagious. • It received enthusiastic support, not only because of its huge scientific potential but also because of its powerful political significance, coming just 20 years after the end of one of the most disastrous conflicts in the history of mankind. • The dynamic city of Grenoble, with its thriving academic and industrial environment and its beautiful natural surroundings, proved to be the ideal site.

• What proofed essential for the future was ILL’s adaptive business model. • The adoption, right from the start, of the innovative status of a service institute, effectively linking the ILL to the entire European academic network. • Representing a truly client-oriented market approach, the service model forced the ILL to adapt to the continuously changing needs of the user community. • The extraordinary upgradability built into the facility’s technical design made this adaptability possible. • It assured at the same time that ILL could continuously improve its nuclear safety standards responding to ever tighter regulations.

• The fact that, 50 years down the road, the ILL is still the world's number one neutron source demonstrates the power of that model. • With today’s ambitious programme of instrument and infrastructure upgrades, the ILL is preparing its portfolio of services for the challenges of the future.

• Thanks to our Scientific Members, the ILL has become truly European over the last three decades. Not only do our 10 Scientific Members contribute considerably to ILL’s budget but their excellent user communities help to reinforce ILL’s scientific excellence. • L’ILL c’est l’Europe qui marche.

• In this context Europe is more than a bureaucratic concept of how to organise trade and movement of citizens between European states. • Europe is above all the belief that humanity is capable of setting its own agenda. • This belief is rooted in the conviction that rational thinking will allow us to construct a better world, always provided that we use the correct system of values. • We should not forget that it is this European belief in humanity’s capacity for self-determination, which is at the origin of the curiosity that has led to the scientific discoveries that have revolutionised our societies. • The founding fathers of the ILL were so convinced of this idea that not even the traumatic atrocities of the second world war could throw them off course. • True to the vision of its founders and independent of the political context the ILL will continue to build a better Europe by creating strong links between European scientists.

• Let me finish with a special word for ILL’s staff. • Even the best genes do not produce successful organisms unless they are properly expressed. • ILL was certainly designed by brilliant minds but the sustained success of the ILL over the years is above all the success of the people that have dedicated their lives to working there. • Of all the pillars sustaining ILL’s performance there is one that I consider particularly important. • At the ILL creative science, inventive engineering and rigorous, industrial reactor operation work hand in hand, in the shared conviction that we our users a perfect service. • I would like to say you, my ILL colleagues, that I consider it an enormous privilege to be allowed to serve as your director.