Photon Science 2021

German Nobel Prizes in physics and chemistry in 2021 as well as in 2020 and the rapid development of a Covid-19 vaccine through the outstanding research and development work in the BioNTech company: These are spectacular scientific breakthroughs that impressively show the strong German role in worldwide fundamental and applied research. To open up completely new possibilities of knowledge generation, DESY has a highly ambitious future plan at its two sites to shape the research campus of the 21st century. Here, applied research leveraging the potential of cutting-edge research infrastructures and rapid transfer to industry and society will be promoted and shaped in a smart ‘ecosystem’. In order to implement this plan in a highly competitive environment, we need to get important construction projects underway quickly in the current funding period so as not to fall behind internationally. This applies to the various construction projects in the areas of research, transfer and knowledge communication at the DESY sites in Hamburg and Zeuthen. But it applies especially to the PETRA IV project, the world-leading lighthouse in research with synchrotron radiation. With the newly developed revolutionary storage ring technology, the hybrid 6-bend achromat (H6BA) lattice, we are placing the performance of German and European light sources ahead of those in the USA and China. The lessons learned from the Corona pandemic and the acute climate crisis are forcing us to leave comfort zones. For us at DESY this means that we are questioning our daily life we have become used to. How will we work and research at DESY in the future? How and how much will we travel in the future? How will we organise a sustainable research campus in the future? How do we coordinate a climate-friendly operation for users at our large-scale research facilities that does not allow any compromises in quality? Will it then be possible to be still appealing to new user groups from academia and industry? If we find the right answers and smart solutions I am convinced that DESY will remain a future-oriented research centre, perhaps even more diverse and even more climate — and family — friendly and it will continue to attract the best talents from all over the world. We were privileged to host the award ceremony for this year's Karl Heinz Beckurts Prize at DESY. The Helmholtz Association, together with the Siemens AG, established the Karl Heinz Beckurts foundation. In addition to the prize winner Vasilis Ntziachristos (Helmholtz Zentrum München and TU München), also Ingmar Hoerr (CureVac), Ugur Sahin and Özlem Terici (BioNTech) were honored with a special prize. Among the guests was Roland Busch, chief executive officer of Siemens who was very impressed by a tour of the DESY site. Personally, I was touched by the first names of the award winners: Vasilis, Ingmar, Ugur, Özlem. There is no shorter or better way to show where our future lies — DESY has lived this diversity since its foundation. This year, DESY has signed the ‘Diversity Charter’ to be part of Germany's largest diversity network and is actively committed to a diverse as well as prejudice-free working environment and to a signal of appreciation of all employees regardless of their gender and gender identity, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, sexual orientation and identity. Here at DESY, great importance is attached to an appreciative working atmosphere, the equality of all employees and a better work-life balance. Since September 2021 the Start-up Labs Bahrenfeld, a project jointly managed by DESY, the University of Hamburg and the City of Hamburg, is the new place for science entrepreneurship on DESY’s research campus. The variety of different fields covered by our young entrepreneurs is huge, ranging from synchronisation systems to individualised tests for diagnosing cancer. DESY and the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg) agreed on a new strategic Cooperation for Application and Innovation (KAI) with a focus on joint research and development programmes, dual education as well as innovation and technology transfer. KAI will help shape Hamburg’s structural transformation to become a science and innovation place in the North of Germany. Finally, I would like to mention our public outreach format ‘Wissen vom Fass‘ (Science on tap) in which scientists from the University of Hamburg and DESY explain science topics and answer exciting questions from the world of research to the public. This year, the event was purely digital, but it was just as entertaining and enjoyable as before for all. In these challenging times, I would like to thank the staff and all our national and international users and partners for their valuable contribution to DESY. Please remain very careful in this tricky winter period and beyond. I wish you all the best!