ESS will put Sweden on the world map of research in the same way as CERN, the world-leading particle physics laboratory in Geneva.
However, it is difficult to compare the research being conducted at CERN with the research that will be conducted at ESS. ESS does not deal with basic research to the same extent that CERN does. At CERN, particles such as protons and neutrons are accelerated in order to study the particles themselves and ascertain the innermost essence of matter. At ESS, particles will be accelerated in order to produce neutrons, which are solely used to study a multitude of different materials and objects. At ESS, most of the research will be more utilitarian.