MAX IV and BESSY II initiate new collaboration to advance materials science
Great joy among the partners of MAX IV and HZB after signing the Cooperation agreement. From left Olof Karis, Director at MAX IV, Antje Hasselberg, authorized signatory at HZB and Bernd Rech, Scientific Director at HZB. © HZB /Ronja Grünke
The Cooperation agreement was signed during a meeting between researchers from MAX IV and BESSY II in Berlin. © HZB
Swedish national synchrotron laboratory MAX IV and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) with BESSY II light source jointly announce the signing of a 5-year Cooperation Agreement. The new agreement establishes a framework to strengthen cooperation for operational and technological development in the highlighted fields of accelerator research and development, beamlines and optics, endstations and sample environments as well as digitalisation and data science.
The new agreement increases accessibility and overall opportunities for users to conduct advanced materials science investigations at MAX IV and BESSY II in a smooth, integrated manner. Facility collaboration through project-based initiatives may include, among others, reciprocal exchange of knowledge, instrumentation development and usage, data handling, scientific and technical staff, research initiatives, and PhD programme activities.
“Decades of collaboration between Sweden and HZB—rooted in, for example, shared work on energy-relevant materials and enabling methods and technologies—have continually advanced our field. The Cooperation Agreement we sign today gives MAX IV and HZB a solid platform to keep advancing synchrotron science into the 2030s and beyond”, says Olof Karis, Director of MAX IV.
Bernd Rech, Scientific Director at HZB highlights: “The development of new materials is key for a climate-neutral future, we are striving to achieve through science and innovation. I am delighted about the close relationship we have built up between MAX IV and HZB over the years. Thanks to this agreement, we will ensure that bright minds continue to work together, for example to investigate new types of materials and accelerator technologies.”
About the facilities
MAX IV Laboratory is a national large-scale research facility in Lund, Sweden providing scientists with the most brilliant X-rays for research in the materials and life sciences. The synchrotron is hosted by Lund University and is primarily funded by Swedish and international research funders, consortia, and Swedish research universities.
> MAX IV
Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH (HZB) is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres in Germany and focuses on energy materials research and the further development of accelerator facilities.
HZB operates BESSY II light source as well as modern laboratories and instruments for the investigation of structures and processes in materials.
> Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin
- Surprising insights into the chemistry of hydroxyl radicals at BESSY IIHow do radicals form in aqueous solutions when exposed to UV light? This question is important for health research and environmental protection, for example with regard to the overfertilisation of water bodies by intensive agriculture. A team at BESSY II has now developed a new method of investigating hydroxyl radicals in solution. By using a clever trick, the scientists gained surprising insights into the reaction pathway.
- 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.