NERC FSF -Recommissioning of Service until March 2031

Tuesday 27th February 2024 The National Environment Research Council has today confirmed that a £70 million investment has been secured for the continued operation until March 2031 of seven NERC facilities, which includes the Field Spectroscopy Facility. This means that FSF will be able to continue in our provision of high quality field spectroradiometers (including UAV imaging capability), internationally accredited calibration facilities, and expertise in spectroscopic techniques, for the UK research community.

This announcement occurs concurrent to FSF’s move to a new physical “hub”, shared with the University of Edinburgh’s Airborne Research and Innovation facility Within a dedicated drone “hangar” area, FSF and ARI will share space and mutual expertise to provide and expand upon our world class UAV imaging provision, while also providing an area for the prototyping of new UAV mounted sensors and instruments.

The hub also includes an expanded dark optical laboratory with increased optical table size and dedicated radiometric source control room. Utilizing the investments provided by NERC over the last recommissioning period, including funding for new laboratory equipment for the calibration of UAV sensors, the facility will be able to continue in our provision of internationally accredited calibration services, while expanding our abilities in hyperspectral imager, underwater radiometer, and BDRF characterization testing.

Taken together, this marks a new chapter in FSF’s history, which we have marked with an updated social media presence, including the publication of a new website https://nerc-fsf.github.io/. Over the next few months, we will gradually migrate over to the new website, which will provide interactive learning resources, an expanded instrument catalogue, and a greater focus on the excellent work conducted by you, our loan users.

Over this next commissioning period, we will seek to utilize the new opportunities and capabilities provided to us to expand on the list of services and instrumentation available to you, while also strengthening the existing capability that we have built over the years. This means we will continue to provide service and equipment loans, with our deadlines for applications remaining the 1st June and 1st November each year. To apply, please visit our website for more information.