The ESRF is a dynamic scientific research institute, a collaboration of 18 countries. Our facility operates one of the brightest X-ray sources in the world. It attracts several thousand scientists from university labs, research institutes and industry who use this synchrotron light for fundamental and applied research. We are situated in Grenoble, city of high technology in the French Alps. Our international staff totalling 530 is recruited mainly from the countries of our funding partners.