23–24 May 2023
Instruct-ERIC Best Practices in Cryo-EM Workshop
The workshop is intended for EM facility scientists, managers, and experts from both academia and industry to discuss and share best practices concerning cryo-EM facility operation.
Events
CIISB Events Calendar
Important and interesting events in the domain of large research infrastructures
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ELI’s L3 HAPLS Laser Reaches 0.95 Petawatt
The L3 HAPLS laser system at the Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC (ELI) has reached a peak power of 0.95 petawatts, delivering 26.6 J in 28 fs during its ongoing commissioning ramp-up. The result exceeded the performance expected at this stage of the campaign and marks a major operational milestone on the system’s path to full design specification. The achievement is the result of a long-term collaboration between ELI and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), building on years of joint expertise in high-power laser technology. Following the installation of the L3 HAPLS laser system at ELI, experts from both institutions have worked to safely and systematically increase the laser’s performance toward its design parameters. The key challenge has been the performance of specific optical components operating at high laser intensities and the energy ramp-up of the high-power short-pulse amplifier. Operating at such high intensities requires a careful balance between maximising the laser performance and resistance of highly exposed optical components. To achieve this, the joint team carried out extensive analysis of the results obtained in the previous phase and performed numerical simulations, which led to optimisation of specific optical subsystems and suggested other improvements. The achieved results confirm the analysis predictions and demonstrate the potential of the used laser technology as well as successful strategy of the performance ramping. “Achieving nearly a petawatt confirms that the laser can be pushed toward its design performance safely and predictably,” says Roman Hvězda, Facility Director of ELI Beamlines. “This is a critical step before the system can be operated routinely at full power for experiments.” The next steps will focus on further increasing the nominal peak power to petawatt and beyond, and simultaneously achieving the repetition rate first 3.3 Hz and beyond. These operating conditions will significantly increase the scientific throughput of the facility, enabling demanding experimental campaigns requiring both extreme peak power and high average data rates. Currently, L3 HAPLS is one of the most utilised laser systems within ELI’s User Programme, simultaneously serving three experimental stations. Its unique combination of peak power, stability, high reliability, and repetition rate, supports a wide variety of user experiments. The laser supports a broad range of research, including laser-driven acceleration of ultrashort particle bunches, brilliant hard X-ray generation, high-energy-density physics, radiobiology, and advanced materials research. These capabilities enable developments in medical research, industrial diagnostics, cultural heritage studies, energy research, and security applications. The continued commissioning of L3 HAPLS advances laser technology and further expands ELI’s capabilities as an international user facility for high-field and high-energy-density science. Press release: https://www.eli-laser.eu/news/elis-l3-hapls-laser-reaches-095-petawatt/
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Ministry of Health Presents the First National Strategy for Clinical Trials. CZECRIN Contributed to Its Preparation
On 15 July 2026, the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic presented the first National Strategy for Clinical Trials of Human Medicinal Products in the Czech Republic 2035. The document establishes a long-term framework for the development of clinical research, improved conditions for conducting clinical trials, and broader patient access to innovative treatment. Among the contributors to its preparation was the Czech Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (CZECRIN). The strategy was presented at a press conference in Prague by the Minister of Health, Adam Vojtěch, together with representatives of the partners involved. It was developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, the State Institute for Drug Control, VVI CZECRIN, the Association of Innovative Pharmaceutical Industry, the Association of Clinical Research Organizations ACRO-CZ, the Czech Health Research Council, healthcare providers, professional societies, patient organizations, and other members of the Ministry of Health’s Working Group for Clinical Trials. Clinical trials can give patients access to innovative treatment even before it becomes routinely available in clinical practice. For healthcare facilities, they strengthen professional capacity, and for the Czech Republic they represent an investment in science, research, and healthcare. The strategy also aims to strengthen the Czech Republic’s position among European leaders in clinical research. Doc. MUDr. Regina Demlová, Ph.D., Director of the national research infrastructure CZECRIN, which is part of the Faculty of Medicine at Masaryk University, drew attention to the importance of academic clinical trials during the presentation of the strategy. Fewer of these are conducted in the Czech Republic than the potential of domestic research facilities would allow. According to her, the strategy represents an important step toward their systematic support, the development of professional capacity, and the strengthening of international cooperation among Czech research centres. The main priorities of the strategy include the further digitalization of processes, the standardization of contractual procedures, support for academic clinical trials, the development of professional capacity, the strengthening of international cooperation, and systematic communication with patients, healthcare professionals, and international partners. One of the first concrete outcomes is the launch of a new national web portal on clinical trials, which VVI CZECRIN is also helping to prepare. The portal will bring together verified and clearly presented information in one place for patients, healthcare professionals, researchers, and sponsors of clinical trials. Its launch is planned for the summer of 2026. National Strategy for Clinical Trials of Human Medicinal Products in the Czech Republic 2035: https://mzd.gov.cz/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Narodni-strategie-klinickych-hodnoceni-humannich-lecivych-pripravku-v-CR-2035.pdf
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ELI-led Consortium Awarded €5 Million Project ELIgnite to Accelerate Deep-Tech Innovation
The European Commission has awarded funding to ELIgnite, a new Horizon Europe project coordinated by the Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC (ELI). Bringing together leading research infrastructures, innovation organisations, and business support partners, ELIgnite aims to bridge the gap between Europe’s world-leading laser and photonics infrastructures and the commercial ecosystem of startups, scaleups, SMEs, and industrial innovator. The project supports Europe’s ambition to strengthen technological sovereignty, industrial competitiveness, and the commercialisation of deep-tech innovation. ELIgnite is the only project selected under this Horizon Europe initiative. Backed by €5 million in European funding under the Horizon Europe programme, ELIgnite will streamline access to some of the world’s most advanced laser facilities, making it easier for researchers to discover, apply for, and use ELI’s capabilities. The project will channel over 60% of its total budget directly to companies via cascade funding, offering grants up to €500,000 to develop disruptive solutions capable of transforming global industry and society. Access to big science facilities like ELI capabilities has traditionally been the domain of academic research communities. ELIgnite fundamentally changes this paradigm, positioning ELI as the core operational anchor for a pan-European deep-tech acceleration model. Private innovators will leverage cutting-edge laser technologies, advanced diagnostics, specialised engineering expertise, and testing environments that are otherwise entirely out of reach. “ELIgnite is about opening Europe’s most advanced photonics and laser infrastructure to entrepreneurs, innovators, and industrial pioneers,” says Roman Hvězda, Project Coordinator. “Our goal is simple: dramatically shorten the distance between breakthrough science and market-ready businesses via an absolute fast track.” ELIgnite targets high-growth domains where ELI’s advanced laser technologies can deliver immediate, transformative value: * Clean Energy & Sustainable Industry: Accelerating solutions for fusion energy, advanced materials, clean manufacturing, industrial decarbonisation, and next-generation energy storage. * Health & Life Sciences: Enabling innovations in medical devices, advanced bio-imaging, diagnostics, radiobiology, precision therapies (such as FLASH and Microbeam radiotherapy), and pharmaceutical development. * Advanced Manufacturing & Materials (including Semiconductors): Supporting the development of novel materials, additive manufacturing, micro-/nano-fabrication, semiconductor metrology, and industrial process innovation. * Security, Space & Resilient Infrastructure: Driving innovation in space environments, radiation testing/hardening, advanced sensing, critical infrastructure resilience, and strategic autonomy (including dual-use technologies). A core feature of ELIgnite is its substantial cascade funding programme (Financial Support to Third Parties – FSTP). Through this mechanism, startups, SMEs, and industrial innovators can apply for direct financial grants to develop, test, and validate their breakthrough technologies, targeting a dual advancement across both Technology Readiness Levels (TRL 3–5) and Commercial Readiness Levels (CRL 3–5). Beyond capital, selected companies will also benefit from a comprehensive support ecosystem. Companies will have the opportunity to work with complementary research infrastructures of the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI), including the ELI Beamlines and ELI ALPS Facilities, while receiving dedicated mentoring from scientific, engineering, and business experts through an Entrepreneurs-in-Residence framework. The programme is complemented by up to 120 hours of tailored business innovation support, connections to international investor networks, and pathways towards venture capitalisation. The Project Consortium The project unites a unique consortium of leading European research infrastructures, policy-aligned bodies, and innovation organisations committed to accelerating deep tech from discovery to market impact: Critical Associated Partners: The consortium is further backed and empowered by a robust network of strategic partners across the continent, grouped by country: Czech Republic: ELI Impact Lab; IP Lab Ventures Italy: Politecnico di Milano and ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development) Germany: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Centre for the Science of Materials Berlin) Slovakia: Mecasys Croatia: Nuqleus Lithuania: FTMC (Center for Physical Sciences and Technology) Spain: CIC nanoGUNE The project will launch in September 2026 and first ELIgnite open calls for innovators and companies are expected to launch in beginning 2027. About ELIgnite ELIgnite is a Horizon Europe-funded initiative that connects Europe’s world-leading laser and photonics infrastructures with startups, SMEs, industrial innovators, and deep-tech entrepreneurs. Anchored by ELI ERIC, the project accelerates the development and commercialisation of breakthrough technologies in energy, health, manufacturing, semiconductors, and security through a non-linear fast-track model combining elite facility access, bespoke business acceleration, and direct cascade funding. Sources: https://www.eli-laser.eu/news/eli-led-consortium-awarded-5-million-project-elignite-to-accelerate-deep-tech-innovation/