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New member in the Steering Committee of the Röntgen-Ångström-Cluster

Winfried Hinrichs, professor of biochemistry at the University of Greifswald, is new to the Steering Committee of the Röntgen-Ångström-Cluster. Find more information about him in the section “People & Projects” as well as “About”/ “Steering Committee” on this site.

Decision taken on Swedish Research Grant within Röntgen-Ångström-Cluster

The Swedish Research Council has announced the successful applicants for the Research Grant available for projects within the context of the Röntgen-Ångström-Cluster. Eight of the 36 applications have been successful.The applicants will be provided with funds to pursue their projects. The grant aims to strengthen research in materials science and structural biology that uses neutron and synchrotron radiation, and/or large scale research infrastructures currently available in the area (PETRA III, FLASH, BESSY II, MAXIV Laboratory, BER II, ESS, and XFEL). For detailed info, including a list of successful applicants, please follow the link: to the page of vr.se

Rolf Hilgenfeld retires

Rolf Hilgenfeld, Head of the Institute for Biochemistry at the University of Lübeck, retires from his post in the Steering Committee due to personal reasons. The other members wish to thank him for his efforts and commitment to the Röntgen-Ångström-Cluster.

Logo

The Röntgen-Ångström-Cluster has a new logo. It represents the colours of the countries involved, Sweden and Germany, as well as symbolize atoms, photons and electrons.

More about how and when to use the logo…

EU-project SCIENCE LINK is approved

SCIENCE LINK will be supported by the EU Baltic Sea Programme with 2.8 million € and will last for two and a half years. It is part of the EU Action Plan in support of a balanced development in the Baltic Sea region. The aim of the project is to organise a network of Research Infrastructures (RI) PartnerHubs in all states around the Baltic Sea to attract, advise and train commercial users at RIs.

Scientific partners at RI PartnerHubs will prepare, execute and interpret experiments at RIs together with commercial users. All RIs in the Baltic Sea region (MaxLab, DESY, Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht, Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin and St. Petersburg Institute for Nuclear Physics) are partners of the project. Unlike the contrast to the RÅC, the project will not support scientific projects but promote cooperation in the Baltic Sea area. The aim of SCIENCE LINK for the next funding period of the EU is to prepare a system of RI PartnerHubs specialised in different areas of science, e.g. nano science or life science, and a system of financial support by the member states.

Röntgen-Ångström-Cluster:

In a first ever interview together, Helmut Dosch and Ulf Karlsson talk about the purpose and aims of the German-Swedish collaboration.

What is the purpose of the Röntgen-Ångström-Cluster?

Dosch: In view of the excellent research infrastructure such as the brilliant X-ray sources and the neutron sources that are put in place in Hamburg and in Lund, it became evident that both countries, Germany and Sweden, have to work much closer together. After there has been prominent focus on the infrastructures in the past, the Röntgen-Ångström-Cluster allows us now to better emphasize research. By joining forces we will make the best scientific use out of these outstanding facilities.

Karlsson: I personally have come to Hamburg since 1980 to pursue research. There has been a long tradition by Swedish scientists to use DESY’s research facilities. Now we want to broaden and deepen this collaboration in a structured way by working together very closely on utilizing synchrotron radiation and neutron sources in the fields of materials research and structural biology – fields where our research facilities offer excellent research opportunities.

Would you say the Röntgen-Ångström-Cluster stands out from other collaborations?

Karlsson: It was a rather unusual decision for Sweden to collaborate with one specific country only and one has to give credit to the Swedish government to establish this novel collaboration structure. The Röntgen-Ångström-Cluster is indeed very unique and we have already received any applicants and project proposals from German-Swedish research teams.

Dosch: The Röntgen-Ångström-Cluster is a whole new strategic cooperation. It demonstrates that something has changed on the Governmental level. It shows that Ministers understand that any future development requires the promotion of science and research at the core level and strategic cooperation with partner countries on a bilateral or multilateral level.

What are you hoping to achieve?

Dosch: We would like to become an international powerhouse and create a European Centre of Excellence in Northern Europe.  Eventually this German-Swedish collaboration of joint funding and joint programming could be a role model for other research-intensive regions in Europe.

Karlsson: In fact, we are also open to international partners. We have had talks with several other countries and the Röntgen-Ångström-Cluster can be a model for the Baltic Science links. Other countries can join as long as they participate in co-funding the research programs. Science does not know any national borders.

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Following the decision of various European partners to build the European Spallation Source (ESS) in Lund (Sweden), representatives of the German and Swedish governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding detailing their commitment to future collaborative projects. Both countries made clear they want to work together very closely on utilizing synchrotron and neutron radiation in the fields of materials research and structural biology.

The collaboration was given the name “Röntgen-Ångström-Cluster”.

The Röntgen-Ångström-Cluster includes several research centres: the research centre DESY in Hamburg with PETRA III and FLASH, the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin for Materials and Energy (HZB) with BESSY II and BER II, and Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG). These institutes, together with the synchrotron radiation source MAX IV, currently under construction in Lund, offer researchers of the region outstanding research possibilities in the field of materials science and structural biology.

With the X-ray laser European XFEL, currently under construction in Hamburg and with DESY’s strong participation in the planned European Spallation Neutron Source in Lund, the range of facilities will be extended to include world-leading photon and neutron sources.

Learn more about the Röntgen-Ångström-Cluster on this official web site. Welcome! Välkommen! Willkommen!