Since summer 2013 Utrecht University hosts the Dutch national facility for high-resolution in situ isotope and element analysis of natural materials. The facility involves a partnership of Utrecht University with Free University of Amsterdam, NCB Naturalis, Netherlands Institute of Sea Research and Netherlands Institute of Ecology.
The facility supports three main research areas:
However, it is open to research from other disciplines too (e.g. life sciences, medical and material sciences). Researchers affiliated with institutions that are not members of the consortium, including both academic and non-academic, national and international, are also welcome to apply for analysis time.
Analytical equipment for spatially resolved chemical/isotopic analysis includes:
Utrecht University has also extensive imaging facilities, both for life sciences and material sciences, including focused ion beam (FIB) equipment.