Tag: funding

LEAPS chairmanship transferred to Thomas Feurer

LEAPS chairmanship transferred to Thomas Feurer

Consortium set to increase influence in Brussels and broaden funding base

At the 8th LEAPS Plenary Meeting, Prof. Thomas Feurer was welcomed as the 2026 Chair of the League of European Accelerator-based Photon Sources. Feurer is also Chairman of the Management Board of European XFEL and succeeds Prof. Jakub Szlachetko from the National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS in Krakow, Poland. 

“It is an honour to be chairing LEAPS,” said Feurer, who attended the meeting remotely. “I am looking forward to continuing the excellent work that has been done here in recent years.” A significant milestone for LEAPS under Feurer’s leadership will be its registration as an international non-profit association under Belgian law in spring 2026. “This will result in stronger visibility and influence in Brussels and beyond, enhancing our ability to form cross-sectoral partnerships in Europe”, Feurer explained.

As a non-profit entity, LEAPS will facilitate collaboration agreements in science and technology between its members and help coordinate funding. Feurer is looking to broaden the funding base for European photon science by pursuing multi-partner opportunities, including partnerships with industry consortia. While building an increased presence at EU level, he also intends to align LEAPS more closely with national roadmaps.

The LEAPS chairmanship was ceremonially handed over at the consortium meeting. Prof. Serguei Molodtsov, Scientific Director of European XFEL, accepted the symbolic baton on Thomas Feurer’s behalf. 

Read more on the European XFEL website

Image: Prof. Serguei Molodtsov, Scientific Director of European XFEL, accepts the symbolic chairmanship baton on Thomas Feurer’s behalf

Credit: Joanna Kowalik

Agreement to secure the funding for the ALBA Synchrotron upgrade

Agreement to secure the funding for the ALBA Synchrotron upgrade

The budget approved by the Spanish Government and the Generalitat de Catalunya for the next 14 years is €926.2 million, funded 50% by each government, and including investments, operations and personnel. €170 million (18%) are devoted entirely to the ALBA II upgrade project. This new investment takes advantage of almost all of the previous investment in ALBA and increases its economic and societal return. The cost-benefit analysis has shown that each euro invested in ALBA II generates an annual social return of 1.5 euros.

The event has been presided over by the President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Salvador Illa; the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant; the Catalan Minister for Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat; the Secretary of State of Science, Innovation and Universities, Juan Cruz Cigudosa; and the Director of the ALBA Synchrotron, Caterina Biscari. There were also attending the Delegate of the Spanish government in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, the Mayor of Cerdanyola del Vallès, Carlos Cordon, and the Rector of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Javier Lafuente.

The event was streamed live and can be rewatched via this link.

Before signing the agreement, the delegation made a tour around ALBA. The director, Caterina Biscari, guided the group through the upcoming changes under the ALBA II project, highlighting its impact on the resolution, speed, and detection capabilities of synchrotron light-based experiments.

Read more on ALBA website

New Argonne-led project to advance data analysis methods for light sources

New Argonne-led project to advance data analysis methods for light sources

The U.S. Department of Energy has approved funding for three 5-year projects focused on the integration of high performance computing at its X-ray and neutron source user facilities.

As scientific facilities get more powerful, the amount and complexity of the data they generate will only grow. Advanced computing resources and techniques will be required to keep up with the sheer volume of data flowing from next-generation facilities. One of those will be the upgraded Advanced Photon Source (APS), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility at DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory.

The Office of Science has recently approved $30 million in funding for three new projects aimed at integrating high performance computing at DOE’s X-ray and neutron light source facilities. Five million of that funding will go to an Argonne-led research project called X-ray & Neutron Scientific Center for Optimization, Prediction and Experimentation (XSCOPE). This project will tackle the technical obstacles and tools needed to enhance data analysis capabilities at X-ray and neutron source user facilities. It aims to address challenges in computational science, applied mathematics and artificial intelligence/machine learning relevant to X-ray light sources. Its focus will be on the APS as the upgraded facility comes online next year.

“These capabilities will accelerate the discovery process and help to answer some of the most pressing scientific challenges of our time.” — Sven Leyffer, Argonne National Laboratory

XSCOPE will focus on unlocking new and pressing scientific challenges while dealing with the deluge of data from large-scale X-ray facilities. Enhancing the data analytics capabilities of light sources such as the APS will help fuel discoveries in biotechnology, advanced materials for energy and microelectronics, and more.

The project is led jointly by Sven Leyffer, principal investigator and deputy director of Argonne’s Mathematics and Computer Science division; Ian Foster, director of Argonne’s Data Science and Learning division; and Nicholas Schwarz, the lead for scientific software and data management at the APS. The team includes X-ray and computational scientists from several areas of the lab.

Read more on Argonne website

Image: An upgrade to the APS will result in much brighter X-ray beams and much more data generated. Newly funded DOE projects will focus on integrating high performance computing with X-ray light sources such as the upgraded APS.

Credit: JJ Starr/Argonne National Laboratory

Funding for Diamond-II approved

Funding for Diamond-II approved

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology together with Wellcome, one of the world’s largest biomedical charities, today (Wednesday 6th September) announced approval for the innovative update and expansion programme to the UK’s national synchrotron, Diamond Light Source, at a total project cost of £519.4M. The investment will see 86% come from the UK Government and 14% from Wellcome, the same proportion that has funded Diamond from its beginning.

The full approval of the upgrade, Diamond-II, is part of a major investment drive in cutting-edge facilities to keep UK researchers and innovators at the forefront of discovery and help address global challenges.  

Sir Adrian Smith, Chair of the Board of Diamond Light Source and President of the Royal Society comments:

We are delighted that the government and the Wellcome Trust have agreed this substantial investment in science infrastructure which will ensure the UK is at the forefront of world class science.  This investment in Diamond-II will strengthen the UK’s global scientific leadership and confirms the UK’s commitment to building on the success Diamond has achieved so far.

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP, said:

Our national synchrotron may fly under the radar as we go about our daily lives, but it has been crucial to some of the most defining discoveries in recent history – from kickstarting Covid drug development that allowed us to protect millions of Britons to advancing treatment for HIV.

Our investment will ensure one of the most pioneering scientific facilities in the world continues to advance discoveries that transform our health and prosperity, while creating jobs, growing the UK economy and ensuring our country remains a scientific powerhouse.

The overall transformational Diamond-II upgrade will take several years of planning and implementation. This will include a “dark period” of 18 months during which there will be no synchrotron light for the user community, followed by a period to fully launch the new facility with three new flagship beamlines and major upgrades to many other beamlines.

Read more on the Diamond website

Image: Touring Diamond’s experimental hall during celebrations to mark the funding announcement for Diamond-II.
L to R: Dr Richard Walker, Technical Director and Senior Responsible Owner for Diamond-II, Beth Thompson MBE Chief Strategy Officer at Wellcome, Dr Adrian Mancuso, Diamond’s Physical Science Director, Prof Sir Dave Stuart, Diamond’s Life Sciences Director,  Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP, Sir Adrian Smith, Chair of the Board of Diamond, and Executive Chair of STFC Professor Mark Thomson.

Credit: Diamond Light Source

Two powerful universities join forces in a common cause.

Two powerful universities join forces in a common cause.

The SOLARIS National Synchrotron Radiation Centre will soon be the site of a joint project by Jagiellonian University and Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan. In the hall of only Poland’s synchrotron will house a beamline for research into viruses, drug and vaccine carriers and nanomaterials.

The Ministry of Education and Science, in the framework of the investment grant ‘Construction of a measurement line for small-angle X-ray scattering research’, has decided to award funding for the construction of a new beamline at the SOLARIS National Synchrotron Radiation Centre, operating within the structures of the Jagiellonian University. This will be the first line in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe dedicated to the study of biological molecules, polymers and their composites, viruses, drug carriers and nanomaterials. Its creation will be possible thanks to the cooperation of scientists from two leading Polish academic communities, from the Jagiellonian University and Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan.

The rectors of the two universities met on 13 July at the NSRC to discuss collaborative spaces, and plans to develop new experimental techniques and learn about the specifics of shared research centres such as SOLARIS.

– The persistence of scientists from our universities in achieving the success of the joint project is an excellent example of exemplary relations between two powerful academic centres in Poland. I am delighted that, after so many months of perturbations to obtain ministerial approval, we have been able to obtain approval for this project. I wish that in three years’ time, we will all have the opportunity to meet here and together open a new line of research that will enable us to make breakthrough discoveries. – said Prof. Jacek Popiel, Jagiellonian University Rector.

– Science always has two dimensions: the present – the local – but also the global. Projects such as the joint research line project take us to this higher dimension of science.  I am a firm believer that global science does not succeed without collaboration. Our two universities have shown that such cooperation has yielded excellent results for many years. – said Professor Bogumiła Kaniewska, PhD, Rector of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan.

Read more on SOLARIS website

Olof Karis becomes Director for MAX IV

Olof Karis becomes Director for MAX IV

Olof Karis, former Interim Director of MAX IV, has been appointed as the Director of MAX IV following an open recruitment process and the recommendation of the MAX IV Board. The decision was made by the Vice-Chancellor of Lund University, the host university for MAX IV.

MAX IV, Sweden’s synchrotron, is fully operational with 16 beamlines and 1400 users yearly from academia and industry. Olof Karis has led MAX IV as Interim Director since March 2022, through finishing the Strategic Plan for 2023–2032 and a positive review by the Swedish Research Council in November. He has also navigated challenges related to increasing operating costs.

“I am enthusiastic about the possibility of continuing to work for MAX IV. It is a fantastic facility with great people. My focus for the near future is to make a case for longer-term funding of MAX IV. We need stability to continue facilitating research that keeps our society strong in facing future challenges,” says Karis.

In collaboration with the scientific community, MAX IV aims to continuously develop existing beamlines and construct several complementary ones in the next decade to make optimal use of already-made investments in the infrastructure.

“The research conducted by our users at MAX IV benefits the community in many areas, with an impact on circular economy and environment, sustainable energy, and health. Our technical advancements with the MAX IV synchrotron are transformative, enabling us to see details we’ve never been able to before. We can approach what has previously been unsolvable problems,” concludes Karis.

Read more on the MAX IV website

Scientist from the SOLARIS team awarded with the prestigious ERC Grant

Scientist from the SOLARIS team awarded with the prestigious ERC Grant

Dr Sebastian Glatt the member of SOLARIS Team and the researcher from Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology (MCB) of the Jagiellonian University has received the ERC Consolidator Grant worth almost 2 million euro. His research will contribute to the better understanding of molecular mechanisms behind the fundamental processes of high clinical relevance, which shape and control the functioning of cellular protein in all living organisms.

Since 2008, the European Research Council (ERC) has been awarding grants for ground-breaking research conducted in the European Union member states and associated countries. The ERC consolidator grant has been addressed to experienced and  deserved researchers. The recently published list of this year’s Consolidator Grant winners comprises 327 researchers from 23 European countries, who will receive 655 million euro in total. Three of the winning projects will be carried out at Polish universities: the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, the University of Warsaw and the Jagiellonian University. The last one is represented by the project “Deciphering the role of RNA modifications during ribosomal decoding and protein synthesis” by Dr Sebastian Glatt. This is the first grant of the European Research Council in the field of life sciences, which received a researcher from the Jagiellonian University.

Read more on the SOLARIS website

Image: Dr Sebastian Glatt with colleagues in the lab

Credit: SOLARIS

Expansion of SOLARIS experimental hall

Expansion of SOLARIS experimental hall

The SOLARIS Centre has been awarded by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education a grant for the expansion of the experimental hall. This long-awaited decision opens up new perspectives for the development of the Centre.

The area of ​​the synchrotron hall will be increased by over two thousand square meters. This space will enable the construction of four new beamlines, which require a long distance of the sample from the synchrotron radiation source. These new facilities include the SOLCRYS beamline for the structural research. The beamline end stations will enable analyses of the structure of proteins, viruses, nucleic acids, and polymers. These studies provide knowledge on the molecular structure of the basic building blocks of living organisms, including the architecture of macromolecules. Research carried out on the beamline will be used, among others, in biological sciences, medicine (drug design and discovery), chemistry, and materials science. SOLCRYS will be the only research infrastructure of this type not only in Poland, but also in the entire Central and Eastern Europe.

Read more on the SOLARIS website

Image: Visualisation of the new building.

Funds for the latest generation of electron cryomicroscopy

Funds for the latest generation of electron cryomicroscopy

The Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education handed over to SOLARIS the official decision to establish the National Cryo-EM Centre at the Polish partner facility, granting the requested financial support.

The successful application is the result of an agreement and cooperation of 17 leading scientific institutions in Poland in the area of structural biology. This very unique nation-wide consortium, led by Dr. Sebastian Glatt (the Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków) and Dr. hab. Marcin Nowotny (the International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Warsaw), was not only key to bring this breakthrough research technique to Poland, but also exemplifies how scientists from around the country are able to work efficiently together for a greater common goal. This state-of-the-art microscope will allow its users to follow the progress of other international research centres and will transfer Polish and international scientists into the first class of structural biology.

The advances made in cryo-EM have revolutionized the field of structural biology over the last decade. The increased recognition of this technology has also culminated in the Chemistry Nobel Prize being awarded to its creators in 2017. The development of this technique has opened up new research horizons, which resulted in a long list of groundbreaking studies published in the most prestigious scientific journals. Foremost, the anticipated results are extremely relevant for a better understanding of the function of the human body, of the formation of human diseases and of processes like aging, and can lead to the development of new effective therapies. Structural biology has already contributed to a huge progress in the treatment of various human diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and obesity. Last but not least, the presence of a high-end cryo-electron microscope at SOLARIS means that Krakow will attract national and international structural biologists.

>Read more on the SOLARIS website

Image: The image of mimivirus made with the use of a cryo-electron microscope.
Credit: Xiao C, Kuznetsov YG, Sun S, Hafenstein SL, Kostyuchenko VA, et al. (2009) [CC BY 2.5]

The United Kingdom officially joins European XFEL

The United Kingdom officially joins European XFEL

At signing ceremony in Berlin, UK becomes twelfth member

Today, the UK joined European XFEL as the research organization’s twelfth member state. In a ceremony at the British Embassy in Berlin, representatives of the UK government and the other contract parties including the German federal government signed the documents to join the European XFEL Convention. The UK’s contribution will amount to 26 million Euro, or about 2% of the total construction budget of 1.22 billion Euro (both in 2005 prices) and an annual contribution of about 2 % to the operation budget. The UK will be represented in European XFEL by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) as shareholder.

Chair of the European XFEL Council Prof. Martin Meedom Nielsen who was present at the signing said: “All member states are very happy that the United Kingdom now officially joins the European XFEL. The UK science community has been very active in the project since the very beginning, and their contribution of ideas and know-how has been always highly appreciated. Together, we will maintain and develop the European XFEL as a world leading facility for X-ray science.”

>Read more on the European XFEL website

Picture: Buddy Bartelsen for British Embassy Berlin

MicroMAX, a new beamline for life science

MicroMAX, a new beamline for life science

The Novo Nordisk Foundation has generously decided to fund the construction and operation of a new beamline at the MAX IV Laboratory called MicroMAX with 255 million DKK.

MicroMAX has been proposed by the Swedish and Danish research community and will depend on close collaboration with user groups in developing the methods that will be used at MicroMAX. The group of Professor Richard Neutze at the University of Gothenburg has pioneered the research in this area.

– Looking back, I note that in November 2006 MicroMAX was priority #2 in the Swedish Research Council evaluation of the proposal to construct MAX IV Laboratory, says Richard Neutze. Now we have a construction and build-up of the beamline also stretching more than a decade. For the MAX IV project as a whole this is a hugely important decision, to get this level of support from a Danish Foundation. I believe that MicroMAX will be one of the major flagship projects for MAX IV Laboratory. Now we just have to build it, operate it and do some great science…. the fun bit!

>Read more on the MAX IV website

 

New capabilities on their way at MAX-IV

New capabilities on their way at MAX-IV

Two projects have received funding from the Carl Tryggers Stiftelse för Vetenskaplig Forskning

Atomic force microscopy at MAX IV for studies of novel carbon nanostructures and modern catalysts

Alexei Preobrajenski, Jan Knudsen, Nikolay Vinogradov

Scanning probe techniques such as scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have revolutionized both fundamental and applied studies of solid surfaces in the last few decades by providing atomic scale characterization of the structure and electronic properties of materials. They are particularly informative in combination with a variety of spectroscopic techniques available at modern synchrotron radiation sources.

Development of a Molecular Jet source – en route to tackling science’s Grand Challenges

Noelle Walsh, Conny Såthe, Antti Kivimäki, Rainer Pärna, Maxim Tchaplyguine, Gunnar Öhrwall

Investigating the interaction of light with molecules and the determination of their properties and dynamics is not only essential to the understanding of a myriad of important processes that occur in nature but, it is also important for industrial and technological advancement.

The Low Density Matter (LDM) relevant beamlines at the MAX IV Laboratory will facilitate research projects that focus on a variety of photochemical reaction studies. A high performance molecular jet source is essential to the collection of high quality experimental data – in particular – the collection of high quality electron/ion multi-coincidence data with excellent momentum resolution.

Read more on the MAX-IV website.

image: Claudia Struzzi and Nikolay Vinogradov working in the scanning tunneling microscopy laboratory at MAX IV

ForMAX – wood research for a better future

ForMAX – wood research for a better future

MAX IV Laboratory has received 100 million SEK from Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation for the investment in a new beamline, ForMAX, designed to serve both academia and industry. The new beamline is tailor-made for solving research questions related to materials from wood and will be a part of the transition to a bioeconomy. ForMAX is part of Treesearch, a national research platform for research and competence building in the field of new materials and specialty chemicals from forest raw materials.

Read more on the MAX-IV website