CHRONO: Institute for Heritage and Environmental Science

女王大学贝尔法斯特有一个杰出的历史，作为世界领先的通过领先的科学技术提高人类的过去和遗产的理解。这包括通过2003年成立的旗舰14 CHRONO中心开拓约会和分析科学，该中心为研究提供了基础分析能力，更广泛的遗产部门和北方爱尔兰，英国和整个爱尔兰岛的收藏基础设施。正在寻求资金对14 CHRONO进行重大升级，以提供一个新的、最先进的设施：14 CHRONO：遗产与环境科学研究所。这座新设施将成为测年和同位素分析领域的全球领导者，并作为一个全岛设施，为北方尔兰和爱尔兰共和国以收藏品为重点的研究提供急需的保护基础设施和分析能力。这一提议得到了历史环境司（北爱尔兰社区部）、北方尔兰国家博物馆和爱尔兰国家博物馆的支持。NMNI缺乏RO/IRO地位，因此无法向许多研究委员会或资本计划申请资金。因此，贝尔法斯特女王大学长期以来一直为北方爱尔兰的博物馆和更广泛的遗产部门提供分析能力和实验室需求，14 CHRONO构成了区域中心，以前与阿尔斯特博物馆共享一个保护实验室。该申请旨在利用这些跨部门的合作伙伴关系和作为世界领先设施的长期声誉，以实现一个新的最先进的遗产和环境科学研究所。反映了这一申请的战略优先事项，为北方爱尔兰建立一个区域中心，这一申请伴随着女王大学贝尔法斯特对房地产成本的189，840英镑的贡献，以及对设备成本的1，944，258英镑，目的是确保进一步的300万英镑来实现新设施。所需设备需要一个新的加速质谱仪，气体接口，两个IRMS，一台配有激光烧蚀和离子色谱的三重四重ICP-MS、用于210 Pb测年的α计数器、傅立叶变换红外光谱仪、电子探针微量分析仪、台式氦原子微区X射线荧光分析仪，辅以便携式手持式X射线荧光分析仪和ELIO微区X射线荧光绘图仪;以及一台大腔室和传感器X射线机。这些设备共同提供了最先进的测年、同位素分析、元素分析和保护技术，并由一个常设技术小组提供补充。这在英国是独一无二的，英国是北方爱尔兰遗产部门的中心，也是第一个拥有完整测年、同位素和联合保护实验室的全岛设施。14 CHRONO作为一个自我维持的设施的记录确保了一个全面的长期可持续性和管理战略，这将是北方爱尔兰和英国的遗产部门的变革。该设施的建立将承诺免费或收费提供高达20%的实验室时间和样本，以支持北方爱尔兰的主要遗产利益相关者。继续14 CHRONO的长期记录作为一个主要的设施，吸引了来自地球仪的研究人员，通过实现这一设施，这笔赠款解决了北方爱尔兰遗产部门的结构性不平等和空白，同时实现了对现有设施中老化设备的重大升级和更换的战略需求。

Queen's University Belfast has a distinguished history as a world leader in enhancing understandings of the human past and heritage through leading edge scientific techniques. This includes pioneering dating and analytical science through the flagship 14CHRONO Centre established in 2003, which has provided analytical capacities fundamental to research, the wider heritage sector and collections-based infrastructure of Northern Ireland, Britain and across the Island of Ireland. Funding is sought for a major upgrade of 14CHRONO to provide a new, state-of-the-art facility: 14CHRONO: Institute for Heritage and Environmental Science. This new facility will be a global leader in dating and isotopic analysis, and as an all-island facility, provide much needed conservation infrastructure and analytical capacities for collections-focused research in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.This proposal is supported by the Historic Environment Divison (NI Department for Communities), National Museums Northern Ireland and the National Museum of Ireland. NMNI lack RO/IRO status, and hence, are unable to apply for funding from many research councils or capital schemes. As a result, Queen's University Belfast has long provided the analytical capacities and laboratory needs for the museums and wider heritage sector in Northern Ireland, with 14CHRONO constituting a regional hub, and previously housing a conservation laboratory shared with the Ulster Museum. This application seeks to harness these cross-sectoral collaborative partnerships and the long-standing reputation as a world-leading facility, to realise a new state-of-the-art institute for heritage and environmental science. Reflecting the strategic priority of this application for creating a regional hub for Northern Ireland, this application is accompanied by a contribution by Queen's University Belfast of £189,840 towards estates costs, and £1,944,258 towards equipment costs, with the aim of securing a further £3m to realise the new facility.Equipment needed entails a new Accelerated Mass Spectrometer with gas interface, two IRMS, a Triple Quad ICP-MS interfaced with Laser Ablation and Ion Chromatography, alpha counters for 210Pb dating, a Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometer, an Electron Probe Micro Analyser, a bench-top Helium Purge Micro-XRF complemented by portable handheld XRF and an ELIO Micro-XRF mapper; and a large chamber and sensor X-Ray machine. Together this equipment provides state-of-the-art techniques in dating, isotopic analysis, elemental analysis and conservation, complemented by an established technical team in post. This will be unique in the UK, a hub for the Northern Ireland heritage sector, and the first all-island facility with complete dating, isotopic and combined conservation laboratories. 14CHRONO's track-record as a self-sustaining facility ensures a comprehensive long-term sustainability and management strategy that will be transformative for the heritage sector of Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. This facility will be established with a commitment to providing up to 20% of laboratory time and samples for free or at cost to support key heritage stakeholders across Northern Ireland. Continuing 14CHRONO's long-standing record as a major facility that attracts researchers from across the globe, through the realisation of this facility, this grant addresses a structural inequality and lacunae in the heritage sector of Northern Ireland, while enabling the strategic need for a major upgrade and replacement of the ageing equipment in the existing facility.