Cristina Pereira

Since February 2022, with the invasion of Russia in Ukraine, the activity of the scientific society in Ukraine has been heavily impacted, limiting the realization of research projects on both national and international levels. The European and Intercontinental scientific community is making numerous efforts to support Ukrainian researchers’ projects at home and in exile. 

In light of the current situation, the League of European Accelerator Based-Photon Sources – LEAPS – initiated dedicated activities to support Ukrainian researchers performing their projects using Synchrotrons and Free Electron Lasers. During the LEAPS Plenary Meeting held at Paul Scherrer Institute (Villigen, Switzerland) on 26-28 October 2022, the LEAPS GA expressed a strong desire to support Ukrainian scientific efforts and designated SOLARIS National Synchrotron Radiation Centre as a coordinating facility to implement and supervise the activities aiming at consolidation and strengthening of the Ukrainian users’ community.

In this context, SOLARIS National Synchrotron Radiation Centre in Krakow, together with the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, is organizing a meeting called “Light for Ukraine – Synchrotron Workshop at SOLARIS” which will be held on 23-24 February 2023 as an online event. The workshop aims to establish scientific collaboration, exchange concepts of future developments, and discuss research areas that can be supported and reinforced within LEAPS-Ukraine cooperation. The agenda of the meeting will cover presentations of SOLARIS scientists describing the facility’s capabilities and presentations of Ukrainian researchers on scientific areas of interest. Within the meeting, necessary activities will be outlined and possible pathways to develop the Ukrainian beamline at the SOLARIS facility will be discussed .

The events is chaired by Alexander Kordyuk from the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences and Jakub Szlachetko from SOLARIS

For more details and registration visit: https://indico.solaris.edu.pl/event/3/

LEAPS Meets Life Sciences Conference

Chair: Caterina Biscari (ALBA/LEAPS)

Scientific Chairs: Gebhard Schertler (PSI) Kristina Djinovic-Carugo (EMBL)

LEAPS, the League of European Accelerator based-Photon Sources, is organizing its 2023 Conference: LEAPS Meets Life Sciences.  

During five residential days, the frontiers of Life Sciences meet the cutting-edge developments of Large Research Facilities. Participants will have the opportunity to hear from a slate of inspiring, thought, and research leaders in the areas of New Biology, Unmet Medical Needs, Bioimaging, Computational Biology and Modern Methods in Structural Biology and Dynamics, Drug Discovery and Strategy of Large Research Facilities. The participants will also contribute to the scientific discussion with selected talks and posters.

Biology, MedTech and Medical research are changing very rapidly and will become major drivers for future needs in large research facilities.  The LEAPS Meets Life Sciences Conference aims at bringing together the European Large Facilities and representatives of Life Sciences to define aligned strategies for large facilities in life science challenges. The development of instrumentation in electron microscopy as well as progress in computational methods and machine learning are opening new opportunities. The use of synchrotron radiation at storage rings, and recently Free Electron Lasers (FELs) at large facilities have boosted research in structural biology and imaging of biological samples at a wide range of length scales in the last decade. Several facilities are upgrading their high-energy rings to emittances approaching the diffraction-limit, which enables them to focus on defining dynamic processes in soft materials and life sciences.

The goals of the conference are to:

• Present an overview of the state-of-the-art scientific and technological achievements and how current X-ray probes and large facilities contribute to this field.
• Create a platform for the interaction of different communities to interact and define needs and challenges for the decade to come.
• Devote tutorial sessions on emerging biology and emerging technology implementations at large facilities.
• Motivate the next generation of scientists and engineers to use extensively the outstanding opportunities at the large facilities within the LEAPS Consortium.
• Initiate an open discussion between life sciences and large facilities to guide a European-wide strategy.

The program will allow for lively interactions among the participants of all career stages, in particular of young researchers with “mentors”. Social events and excursions in the near surroundings of the stunning conference venue will foster the network between engineers, physicists, and life scientists.

To encourage the participation of the future generation of researchers LEAPS and the ERNEST GPCR Network are offering a limited number of grants (covering all expenses, including travel) for students and young researchers submitting their work.

Participation/Contributions

The conference has a limited number of places. A pre-registration will be required from all interested participants who will be required to submit an abstract (to be reviewed) or inform the reason for attendance. Contributions will be presented as posters. Selected outstanding contributions will be presented as talks during the program.

Pre-registration/Abstract Submission Deadline: February 06 2023!

Registration Fee:  800 EUR

Including: all meals and social events (welcome cocktail, lunches, dinners, cheese and wine during poster session, coffee breaks), excursions, shuttle buses and ferry tickets in the transfer to and from La Biodola.

Hotel Accommodation (not included in the registration fee)

The Conference will take place at the five stars Hotel Hermitage located in La Biodola, Isola d’Elba, Italy. Participants will be accommodated either in Hotel Hermitage or in the nearby Hotel Biodola.

Each participant must pay directly the accommodation costs, which are not included in the fee.

Please follow the following links to find key info about the conference:

• Confirmed speakers
• Scientific topics
• Call for Abstracts/Submissions
• Preliminary program
• Pre-Registration
• Hotel Accommodation
• Student Grants
• Conference Chairs, scientific and organizing committee