The future of BESSY

This is what the successor source BESSY III could look like in the future.

This is what the successor source BESSY III could look like in the future. © Rendering: HZB

At the end of February 2024, a team at HZB published an article in Synchrotron Radiation News (SRN). They describe the next development goals for the light source as well as the BESSY II+ upgrade programme and the successor source BESSY III.

In autumn 2023, HZB celebrated 25 years of research at the BESSY II light source in Berlin-Adlershof. To continue offering scientists from all over the world the best research opportunities in the coming decades, it is important to have a vision for BESSY II. In addition, many light sources around the world are currently being modernised or even newly built to keep up with the latest research questions and contribute with state-of-the art research infrastructures.

The article "Material Discovery at BESSY" shows the relevance of BESSY light source for the research questions of the future. The HZB team describes the goals of the BESSY II+ upgrade programme. Among other things, the programme aims to expand operando techniques that are of great benefit in developing materials for the energy transition.
BESSY II+ is a bridge between BESSY II and the successor source BESSY III, which is scheduled to go into operation in the mid-2030s. It is set to become the "materials discovery machine": a combination of the extremely bright, soft 4th generation light source, the integrated research campus in Berlin-Adlershof and the quantitative measurement capabilities of the national metrology institute (PTB, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt)
from synchrotron research.

The article has been published in open access and can be read in the journal SRN, which specialises in synchrotron research.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08940886.2024.2312051

  • Copy link

You might also be interested in

  • Prashanth Menezes awarded prestigious VAIBHAV Fellowship by Government of India
    News
    09.10.2025
    Prashanth Menezes awarded prestigious VAIBHAV Fellowship by Government of India
    The Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, has announced the recipients of the Vaishvik Bhartiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Fellowship, a flagship initiative aimed at fostering collaboration between the Indian STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) diaspora and leading research institutions in India. Among the 2025 awardees is Dr. Prashanth W. Menezes, Head of the Department of Materials Chemistry for Catalysis at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB).
  • Sasol and HZB deepen collaboration with strategic focus on digitalisation
    News
    08.10.2025
    Sasol and HZB deepen collaboration with strategic focus on digitalisation
    Sasol Research & Technology and Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) are expanding their partnership into the realm of digitalisation, building on their joint efforts in the CARE-O-SENE project and an Industrial Fellowship launched earlier this year. This new initiative marks a significant step forward in leveraging digital technologies to accelerate catalyst innovation and deepen scientific collaboration.
  • Technology Transfer Prize Ceremony 2025
    News
    07.10.2025
    Technology Transfer Prize Ceremony 2025
    This year’s Technology Transfer Prize Ceremony will take place on October 13 at 2 pm in the Lecture Hall, BESSY II Building, Adlershof.