Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: FEI and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Establish New Electron Microscopy ‘Centre of Excellence’: Centre of Excellence involves materials and life sciences research and technical collaboration

Home > Press > FEI and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Establish New Electron Microscopy ‘Centre of Excellence’: Centre of Excellence involves materials and life sciences research and technical collaboration

Abstract:
FEI (NASDAQ: FEIC) and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have announced a collaboration agreement to establish a new Centre of Excellence. The Centre will be located at the KAUST Research & Technology Park in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia.

FEI and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Establish New Electron Microscopy ‘Centre of Excellence’: Centre of Excellence involves materials and life sciences research and technical collaboration

Hillsboro, OR | Posted on July 5th, 2016

KAUST has recently purchased electron microscopy equipment from FEI, including: a Titan Themis™ transmission electron microscope (TEM), Helios™ G4 DualBeam, as well as upgrades for its existing Titan Krios™ cryo-TEM. These new systems, which will ship in Q4 2016, will be added to the existing 17 electron microscopes from FEI that KAUST already has installed at the site.

“This long-term strategic collaboration originally began in 2009 with the first shipment of equipment; it is very important to FEI and KAUST, and to the entire country of Saudi Arabia. It is an integral part of the country’s overall plan to build a strong infrastructure of scientific research that benefits humanity world-wide,” said Trisha Rice, vice president and general manager of the Materials Science Business, FEI. “We anticipate the agreement to be mutually beneficial, as we exchange vital information and knowledge that will help us to develop application-specific workflows and further advance our technology.”

“This agreement officiates KAUST and FEI’s recommitment to build a strong relationship and valuable strategic partnership to achieve our common goals in the advancement of high-performance imaging technologies,” said Dr. Justin Mynar, Director of KAUST Core Laboratories and Major Facilities. “This collaboration is the first implementation of our strategic initiative to build a long-term partnership with major instrument suppliers to help us carry out our mission in providing state-of-the-art research facilities, training and services to our users.”

KAUST has some of the most advanced electron microscopy systems installed at the Centre. The Titan Themis TEM extends FEI’s leadership position in aberration-corrected, atomic-scale imaging and analysis; it is used by materials scientists to understand relationships between a material’s larger-scale physical properties and its atomic-scale composition and structure. The Titan Themis platform enables direct measurements of properties, such as magnetic fields, on the nanometer-length scale and electric fields even down to the atomic scale.
The Helios G4 DualBeam Series was just released last month; it features FEI’s most advanced scanning electron microscope (SEM) and focused ion beam (FIB) technology and a new level of automation and ease-of-use. It is FEI’s flagship DualBeam system equipped with the latest hardware and software to help materials scientists obtain the highest quality subsurface and three-dimensional (3D) information at the nanometer scale.

FEI’s Titan Krios is a highly automated, cryo-TEM designed specifically to enable structural biologists to study the structure and function of cells, viruses and protein assemblies at the molecular, sub-nanometer scale. FEI’s recent technological advancements in the microscope design and imaging hardware, along with enhanced image processing and automation, have helped to rapidly increase the technique’s adoption by leading structural biologists world-wide. Established methods for structure determination, such as x-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, are now routinely integrated with cryo-EM density maps to achieve atomic-resolution models of complex, dynamic molecular assemblies.

Rice adds, “The suite of electron microscopes at the KAUST is one of the most advanced in the world. We anticipate that this collaboration will help KAUST to further scientific research in the areas of chemistry/catalyst research, nanoparticles and life sciences by gaining continual access to the latest characterization techniques, hardware and software available on the market.”

The three-year agreement also involves FEI support staff on site. For more information about FEI’s solutions for materials and life sciences, please visit www.fei.com.

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About FEI Company
FEI Company (Nasdaq: FEIC) designs, manufactures and supports a broad range of high-performance microscopy workflow solutions that provide images and answers at the micro-, nano- and picometer scales. Its innovation and leadership enable customers in industry and science to increase productivity and make breakthrough discoveries. Headquartered in Hillsboro, Ore., USA, FEI has over 2,800 employees and sales and service operations in more than 50 countries around the world. More information can be found at: www.fei.com.

FEI Safe Harbor Statement

This news release contains forward-looking statements that include statements regarding the performance capabilities and benefits of the Titan Themis TEM, Helios G4 DualBeam, and Titan Krios cryo-TEM. Factors that could affect these forward-looking statements include but are not limited to our ability to manufacture, ship, deliver and install the tools, solutions or software as expected; failure of the product or technology to perform as expected; unexpected technology problems and challenges; changes to the technology; the inability of FEI, its suppliers or project partners to make the technological advances required for the technology to achieve anticipated results; and the inability of the customer to deploy the tools or develop and deploy the expected new applications. Please also refer to our Form 10-K, Forms 10-Q, Forms 8-K and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for additional information on these factors and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. FEI assumes no duty to update forward-looking statements.

About KAUST

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is an international, graduate-level research university located on the shore of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia. KAUST is dedicated to inspiring a new age of scientific achievement in the Kingdom, across the region and around the globe. As an independent, merit-based institution, KAUST has enabled top researchers from around the globe and across all cultures to work together to solve challenging scientific and technological problems. The KAUST global research and education network supports diverse talents both on its campus and at other premier universities and research institutions through collaborative research agreements, grants, and student scholarship programs. For more information about KAUST, visit http://www.kaust.edu.sa.

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