News

The LEAPS task force, established in October 2020, has presented a statement on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-discrimination as the first step of its activities and is currently filling it with life.

All LEAPS facilities have best practice examples to address the topics of the task force, to strengthen diversity, ensure equity and provide an environment free from discrimination. These activities will be collected and presented in a comprehensive summary and augmented with new ideas. The query of activities and ideas is ongoing, while the intermediate status already shows the multifarious approaches and measures. The next aim is to provide this extensive and growing collection to all LEAPS facilities.

The task force consists of the following persons:
Marek Stankiewicz, Solaris; Ana Anselmo, HZB; Barbara Schramm, HZDR; Cecilia Blasetti, Elettra; Franz Hennies, MAX IV; Deike Pahl,  XFEL; Antje Vollmer, HZB

LEAPS Statement on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-discrimination (IDEA)

The League of European Accelerator-based Photon Sources (LEAPS) brings together Synchrotron Radiation and Free Electron Laser user facilities in Europe in a strategic consortium that aims to actively and constructively ensure and promote the quality and impact of fundamental, applied and industrial research for the benefit of European science and society.

As international large-scale research infrastructures where interdisciplinary scientific topics are explored, LEAPS facilities are inherently diverse and dynamic. They are science hubs for communities that share a common goal in pursuing scientific advancements but also bring with them different personal cultural backgrounds. LEAPS provides an organizational structure that gives all scientists the opportunity to flourish and explore their abilities and interests in an inclusive environment.

As a European consortium focusing on scientific excellence, LEAPS is committed to strengthening diversity and is acutely aware of owing its success to the talents, ideas, cooperation, and collective and complementary collaboration of its scientists. The ingredients to this success are respect and fairness, appreciation and openness. Ensuring equity and achieving an inclusive environment, free from discrimination at all levels, is LEAPS’s responsibility.

The prerequisite to scientific and societal prosperity is the creation of an atmosphere of acceptance and trust, embracing all differences stemming from personal ways of life or personal living situations, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, ideologies, biographies, religion, beliefs, disability, age, appearance, and many other aspects. In an increasingly globalised and interdependent world, cohesion matters, diversity helps, and impartiality is indispensable.

LEAPS recognizes that scientific communities, as all communities, are built by individuals informed by their own experience, circumstances, unconscious biases and greater society.

In order to achieve the goals of inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-discrimination, it is our commitment to provide a range of specific tools, tailored to each of the LEAPS facilities, making them the ideal location for large international, interdisciplinary and intermixed teams to thrive and achieve their highest potential.

The LEAPS consortium is delighted to announce its official partnership with ESUO, the European Synchrotron and FEL User Organisation. LEAPS General Assembly has endorsed this strategic partnership on 16 November 2020, following a fruitful exchange in elaborating common goals and visions.

The connection of LEAPS members with the user community is further reinforced by the approval of ESUO as a LEAPS Strategic Partner. User voices are an essential component for the evolution of the facilities. Having them directly represented in the LEAPS governance seamlessly optimizes the complementary functions for advancing together in serving the society.

Caterina Biscari, Chair LEAPS

ESUO, the European Synchrotron and Free Electron Laser User Organisation represent about 22,000 users of the European synchrotron and free-electron laser facilities. At present users from 30 European member states and associated countries (including Israel and Turkey) are represented by ESUO national delegates/representatives. LEAPS is very much looking forward to the mutual benefits of a close partnership of ESUO with LEAPS will generate.

LEAPS invited to a Zoom webinar on 28 October 2020, 10–12 CET “European Research Infrastructures: Engines for Science and Innovation” hosted by MEP and vice-chair of the ITRE Committee at the European Parliament, Lina Gálvez.

As the consortium of every Synchrotron radiation and Free-Electron Laser facility in Europe, we aim at contributing to shaping the Research Infrastructure (RI) landscape in Europe by inviting every Member State and join forces to assure the RI under Horizon Europe. At this event, the key role of RIs was showcased in contributing to solve the most urgent Global Challenges, including energy storage and viral threats.

A lively debate took place with right-to-the-point interventions from the European Commission, the LEAPS chair, scientific experts K. Edström on the topic energy materials and M. Ackerman on viral and microbial threats and industry expert A. Sandström from AstraZeneca, Europe. This was followed by a panel discussion of experts and finished with an open discussion in the form of interactive exchange of experts and policymakers.

“The negotiation at the European Parliament to increase the budget will be difficult because national interests are too strong in science. However, especially for RIs, there is a very clear need for international programs and cooperation.”

Lina Gálvez, vice-chair ITRE Committee, European Parliament

” The European Commission has recognized the role of RIs over the years by funding RIs and access of researchers to RIs. Now is the moment where we should have a more strategic approach in collaboration with various stakeholders for RIs to identify those areas where the role of RIs would be further recognized.”

Anna Panagopoulou, DG R&I RTD, European Commission

“It was amazing how quickly RIs in lock-down situation reacted to the pandemic and came-up with a quick-access program focused on COVID-19, pushing the scientific community to also react. LEAPS facilities have been at the fore-front there.”

Yannis Ionnidis, ESFRI

World-class RIs allow researchers to boost their careers and achieve more impactful results with their use. In fact, RIs are the success story of the European Research Area (ERA). The continuous evolution of RIs and the innovations developed at their heart provide a competitive advantage for research organizations, industry and the whole continent. RIs deserve proper funding and support at European level from Horizon Europe. Especially, due to the growing need to make national RIs more accessible to researchers from other Member States and in order to enable cost-efficient coordination in the renewed ERA.

RI substantively contribute to the objectives of the green deal by enabling research for clean, reliable and affordable energy and sustainable transport and elicits finding molecular targets to fight the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. The event gave a glimpse of a working landscape for RIs, in which not only the Member States but also the facilities themselves have a more prominent role. This model can work together with the funding instruments in Horizon Europe for the benefit of researchers and innovators all across Europe.

“It was very positive to see that the different European institutions are aware of LEAPS difficulties to fully develop our program but that our objectives are aligned and that we can work together to create the world´s most advanced science consortium.”

Caterina Biscari, Chair LEAPS