As international large-scale infrastructures, LEAPS facilities are committed to contribute to and promote activities that aim at not only championing science in its every facets but also creating bridges across communities and regions. Science diplomacy is inherent to many widening scientific activities LEAPS is actively involved in. The facilities will continue all efforts in bringing science forth, in focus of and as an instrument for peaceful collaboration and universal development. Along with numerous beamlines and instruments that are run in scientific collaboration with other countries, LEAPS facilities participate in targeted science diplomacy activities.
Light for Ukraine – a project to support scientists from Ukraine
The Ukrainian scientific community has been facing a number of critical challenges over the past two years that have significantly constrained science advocacy activities. To support Ukrainian researchers, at the plenary meeting in 2022 the LEAPS General Assembly asked and entrusted SOLARIS National Synchrotron Radiation Centre with the coordination of communication between the Ukrainian Society of synchrotron radiation users in its efforts to build a Ukrainian beamline at SOLARIS that will allow consolidating Ukrainian researchers working in the area of photon-sciences.
To meet the needs of the Ukrainian scientific community, SOLARIS NSRC organized a series of workshops in collaboration with the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, in which more than 500 scientists participated. The meetings aimed to investigate Ukrainian research areas and priorities and work out plans around the dedicated “Light for Ukraine” beamline project. The “Light for Ukraine“ beamline should be the property of the Ukraine Scientific Society but located at SOLARIS Centre and operated in collaboration with SOLARIS and the Ukraine Scientific Society.
The “Light for Ukraine” beamline project will pave the way for the Ukraine synchrotron society to step in the cutting-edge research of photon science and seed the premise for the long-term strategy in developing state-of-the-art synchrotron national project located in Ukraine. For more information visit: https://synchrotron.uj.edu.pl/en_GB/lightforukraine.
Lightsources for Africa, the Americas, Asia, Middle East and the Pacific
The LAAAMP programme, with the full title Utilisation of Light Source and Crystallographic Sciences to Facilitate the Enhancement of Knowledge and Improve the Economic and Social Conditions in Targeted Regions of the World, brings together international scientific institutions and advanced light sources – including the LEAPS facilities ALBA, Elettra, ESRF, and MAX IV – in support for the worldwide implementation of scientific instrumentation and infrastructure, leading to the establishment of advanced light sources in emerging regions and the training of young researchers.
African Light Source Foundation
The AfLS drives the progress along a well-structured roadmap towards the establishment of an advanced light source in the African continent. Its efforts are supported by several LEAPS facilities, namely DESY, Diamond, Elettra, ESRF, EuXFEL, MAX IV, PSI, and SOLEIL.
SESAME Light Source – Instrument development and knowledge transfer
Many LEAPS facilities have dynamic scientific collaborations with SESAME – Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East, the first synchrotron light source in the Middle East and neighbouring countries, and the region’s first major international centre of excellence, officially opened in 2017.
Much in the same way as CERN had done for Europe in the 1950s, the vision of SESAME is to bring peace in a politically unstable region and be a place, where irrespective of the political, religious and cultural systems they come from, scientists meet and collaborate freely.
Now running as a scientific and technological centre of excellence in the region and an international research facility open to external users, SESAME became the first associate member of LEAPS in 2018. There are many running collaboration projects between SESAME and LEAPS facilities, with support provided at European and national levels. Examples include:
- OPEN SESAME – Horizon2020 (2017-2019) focussing on staff and community training with over 20,000 hours of training and 200 people mobilised – including ALBA, DESY, Elettra, ESRF, INFN, SESAME and SOLEIL.
- BEATS – Horizon2020 (2019-2023) funded the construction and commissioning of SESAME’s first X-ray tomography beamline – including ALBA, DESY, Elettra, ESRF, INFN, PSI, SESAME and SOLARIS.
- Helmholtz-SESAME Soft X-ray Beamline project (HESEB, 2019-2024) – Helmholtz funded the construction and commissioning of a soft X-ray beamline at SESAME – including DESY, HZB and HZDR.
- SUNSTONE – Horizon Europe (2024-2027) is working to enhance the scientific capabilities and standing of SESAME as an international hub of research and excellence – including ALBA, DESY, Elettra, ESRF, INFN, PSI and SESAME.