20 Years Russian-German Joint Laboratory at BESSY II
To mark its 20th anniversary, the Russian-German Laboratory at the BESSY II storage ring for synchrotron radiation in Berlin is organising an online workshop on 18 and 19 November. Scientists will discuss the future perspectives of Russian-German cooperation as well as innovative projects and new goals of the laboratory.
Since its foundation two decades ago, numerous scientists from Russia and Germany have worked at the Russian-German Joint Laboratory and have since published around 770 publications. The research cooperation is now supported by eight partner organisations - Freie Universität Berlin, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Technische Universität Dresden and Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg. They are joined by St. Petersburg State University, the Ioffe Institute in St. Petersburg and the Kurchatov Institute and Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography in Moscow.
The laboratory receives funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Messreisen supports the HZB and the German-Russian Centre of Excellence G-RISC, which is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds from the Federal Foreign Office.
The researchers will use the anniversary workshop to discuss current highlights from their research. Expert lectures will deal with the magnetism of two-dimensional crystals, i.e. novel materials that can make the computer hardware of the future more powerful and energy-efficient, as well as new battery materials and the question of why novel materials for solar cells show unexpectedly high efficiency. "What does the future hold for the Russian-German Laboratory?" asks Eckart Rühl, Professor of Physical Chemistry at the Free University of Berlin and coordinator of the research laboratory. New synchrotron radiation sources are already being planned in Germany and Russia, he says. "BESSY II will continue to provide excellent opportunities for the Russian-German Laboratory in the coming decade. And the planned successor source BESSY III will make previously unfeasible experiments possible!" emphasises Prof. Dr. Jan Lüning, scientific director of Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin.
Program of the Workshop on 18 and 19 November 2021
- Theory meets practice – We’re heading back to HTW Berlin!The HZB’s BIPV consultancy office (BAIP) is once again coordinating and delivering the lecture series “Building-Integrated Photovoltaics”.
- AI-driven Catalyst Discovery: €30 million funding for German consortiumSix partners from research and industry, including Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB), the Fritz-Haber-Institute of the Max Planck Society (FHI), BASF, Dunia Innovations, Siemens Energy, and the Technical University Berlin are launching a joint project to accelerate the catalyst discovery. The German Federal Ministry for Science, Technology and Space (BMFTR) is providing €30 million in funding for ASCEND (Accelerated Solutions for Catalysis using Emerging Nanotechnology and Digital Innovation). The research initiative targets the defossilisation of energy-intensive industries while safeguarding industrial competitiveness, with a focus on the chemical sector. The five-year project will start on 1st April 2026.
- Kick-off for a new data and AI centre in BerlinBy establishing a new data and AI centre in Berlin, the Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) are laying the foundations for a scalable and sovereign data infrastructure in the capital. The project strengthens the scientific capabilities of Berlin’s research community whilst making an important contribution to research security, resilience and technological independence.