HZB intensifies cooperation with RI Research Instruments (RI)

HZB and RI Research Instruments (RI) strengthened their long standing business partnership by signing another contract – this time a collaboration agreement supporting the transfer of technology for superconducting accelerators into an industrial environment.

In the past, on the one hand RI has been a key equipment supplier to HZB, while on the other hand HZB licensed some intellectual property rights to RI.

Under the new contract, experts from the SupraLab at HZB will support their industrial colleagues at RI in the design of the first industrial high-power superconducting electron accelerator, which will be used for production of Mo-99, an isotope helping tens of millions of patients every year.

Together they will evaluate technologies like photocathode production, lasers for electron beam generation and couplers that bring the radio-frequency waves needed for acceleration into the superconducting modules. This is a great example of how technology finds its way from fundamental research into industrial applications.

The current Corona crisis might discourage others from starting new long-distance collaborations, but not us. We have used the flexibility of video conferences and already had many meetings where the experience from the HZB team was translated into progress with product development at RI. In 2021, first tests of the jointly developed equipment will begin.

HZB would like to extend special thanks to the city and regional government of Berlin and the Europäischen Fonds für regionale Entwicklung (EFRE) for cofinancing SupraLab.