This is the first of three workshops planned within the SPIRIT (Support of Public and Industrial Research using Ion Beam Technology) project, and is a part of the European Union initiative to maximize and optimally make use of the best accelerator infrastructure available in the European Union. The aim of the planned workshops is to inform a broad range of scientists on the possibilities for use of accelerator methods in scientific research in the areas of physics, chemistry, biology and medicine and thereby increase both the number of users as well as the availability of European accelerator infrastructure. The theme of the first worskhop focusses on presentation of novel detector systems for research using ion beam technology in the study of new materials. The total number of participants at the Plitvice workshope will be 60 scientists from 15 European countries, including a number of speakers from partner institutions within the SPIRIT project.

Given that this year is the 60th anniversary of the RBI it is important to mentioon that the first RBI accelerator was built in 1956. A long tradition in accelerator activities together with help from the EU, the IAEA and the government of Croatia led to the more recent creation of a modern accelerator center which today houses 2 accelerators and 8 experimental lines, focussed on using ion beam technology. This makes RBI an equal partner in the consortium made of research institutes and universities from Germany, France, Great Britain, Portugal, Switzerland and Slovenia.

Workshop participants will visit the accelerator centre at RBI on Wednesday, October 27, where they will see the latest additions to the accelerator system as well as unique elements of the system such as heavy ion microprobes, a chamber for simultaneous irradiation with ion beams from 2 accelerators, the TOF ERDA system and the new spectrometer for high-definition PIXE spectroscopy.