DIGITAL LEAPS is on its way

The DIGITAL LEAPS initiative was triggered in 2020 as a response of LEAPS to the COVID-19pandemic, with the aim of increasing together, on a European level, the resilience of LEAPS facilities to times of crisis, where massive constraints on operations and mobility are taking place.

A preliminary analysis was presented at the 2020 LEAPS Plenary Meeting and it sparked a very positive feedback from both the General Assemble and members at the single facilities.

The preparation phase has started right afterwards, including from the very beginning some green aspects, which involve another strategic challenge nowadays where LEAPS contribution can be significant. DIGITAL LEAPS structure involve three homogenous pillars, STARS, HR4 and LIP, each one focusing on one specific aspect.

During the preparation phase, a fertile exchange of ideas at the level of the Research and Development Board (R&D Board) allowed to find inspiration from the three pillars for project proposals, which were submitted to the Horizon Europe call INFRA-2021-TECH-01-01 in September 2021. The proposal eRImote was since then approved and has reached the stage of Grant Agreement preparation.  

In addition, the R&D Board, in collaboration with the Coordination Board, published the position paper “DIGITAL LEAPS – A European Strategy on the Digital Transformation of Accelerator-based Photon Sources towards a resilient and sustainable European Research Area”.

After approval by the LEAPS General Assembly, the DIGITAL LEAPS project proposal has now started the executive phase.

During the first year, the focus of the three pillars will be on networking activities, with one pilot project for each pillar. The first phase takes into account both the connection with the proposals submitted to the Horizon Europe calls in September and the information collected during the preparation phase contacting the LEAPS facilities. The pilot projects will allow to complete an overview of the different actions undergoing at the LEAPS facilities to become more resilient, to explore the opportunities to create green facilities including circular economy aspects and interactions with industry, and to foster, in such a way, future common initiatives. The latter may seed both topics and proposals for Horizon Europe calls in the future RI work programs, i.e. 2023 onwards.

For additional information on DIGITAL LEAPS, please contact leaps-support@desy.de