BrightnESS² is a European Union-funded project within the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme. There are 16 organisations from Europe and South Africa participating in the BrightnESS² partnership. The budget is nearly €5 M and the duration of the project is three years. The European Spallation Source (ESS) in Lund, Sweden, will enable both fundamental and applied research. BrightnESS² is an integrated program in support of the long-term sustainability of ESS, its community, and the network of neutron sources in Europe.