Periodic Reporting for period 2 - LEAPS-INNOV (LEAPS pilot to foster open innovation for accelerator-based light sources in Europe)
Reporting period: 2022-10-01 to 2024-03-31
The European synchrotron radiation sources and free electron lasers (FELs) serve a broad scientific community of over 30,000 users and play a vital role in most research fields from basic science to applied areas in health, environment, cultural heritage as well as in high-impact industrial applications. LEAPS-INNOV (LEAPS pilot to foster open innovation for accelerator-based light sources in Europe) contributes to solving key technological challenges for over 50 light sources in Europe and worldwide, and supports their newest generation - diffraction-limited storage rings and X-ray FELs. Contributing to the technological sovereignty and realizing synergies is at the heart of the broader roadmap of both, LEAPS - the League of European Accelerator-Based Photon Sources - and LEAPS-INNOV.
The increasing complexity of technology and a shorter life cycle require the photon sources to join innovation with partner facilities, users and industrial suppliers to promote creativity, novelty and resource efficiency. The overall objective of the LEAPS-INNOV innovation pilot is kick-starting the implementation of the LEAPS Technology Roadmap while enhancing partnership with industry through open innovation. In this context, LEAPS-INNOV seeks to address collaboration with industry as a supplier as well as a user of the light sources.
The LEAPS-INNOV partners have initiated six multinational beyond-state-of-the-art collaborative technology objectives in the areas of source development, optics, detectors, sample environments and data science. Performing research & development in a coordinated manner across LEAPS allows a more efficient use of resources and faster technology innovation and deployment while facilitating partnerships with companies. This will enable Europe to keep leading the way in photon science and will provide an industrial basis for its instrumentation and tools.
LEAPS-INNOV explores different pathways in targeting industry as an early-stage collaborator, i.e. different procurement actions, joint workshops and forums, and knowledge and technology transfer. In terms of facility use, LEAPS-INNOV is building a medium- and long-term perspective on enhanced engagement, using the critical mass of LEAPS and the vast pool of expertise, tools and scientific know-how for supporting industry through dedicated joint actions and effective pathways for access. Finally, LEAPS-INNOV includes a pilot activity bringing the light sources closer to user clusters and EU partnerships addressing the societal challenges
The increasing complexity of technology and a shorter life cycle require the photon sources to join innovation with partner facilities, users and industrial suppliers to promote creativity, novelty and resource efficiency. The overall objective of the LEAPS-INNOV innovation pilot is kick-starting the implementation of the LEAPS Technology Roadmap while enhancing partnership with industry through open innovation. In this context, LEAPS-INNOV seeks to address collaboration with industry as a supplier as well as a user of the light sources.
The LEAPS-INNOV partners have initiated six multinational beyond-state-of-the-art collaborative technology objectives in the areas of source development, optics, detectors, sample environments and data science. Performing research & development in a coordinated manner across LEAPS allows a more efficient use of resources and faster technology innovation and deployment while facilitating partnerships with companies. This will enable Europe to keep leading the way in photon science and will provide an industrial basis for its instrumentation and tools.
LEAPS-INNOV explores different pathways in targeting industry as an early-stage collaborator, i.e. different procurement actions, joint workshops and forums, and knowledge and technology transfer. In terms of facility use, LEAPS-INNOV is building a medium- and long-term perspective on enhanced engagement, using the critical mass of LEAPS and the vast pool of expertise, tools and scientific know-how for supporting industry through dedicated joint actions and effective pathways for access. Finally, LEAPS-INNOV includes a pilot activity bringing the light sources closer to user clusters and EU partnerships addressing the societal challenges
The project implementation in the second period (Oct 2022 - Mar 2024) is well on track, with 12 out of 13 milestones achieved and 11 out of 12 deliverables submitted. Combining new virtual tools with face-to-face meetings, LEAPS-INNOV has set up a very fruitful collaboration with regular meetings, seminars and workshops on technology topics, fostering collaborations with industry and the user community. LEAPS-INNOV has had active exchange with its Innovation Advisory Board of experts from industry and industry-linked academia as well as with the other two funded innovation pilots.
The six technology WPs, which together involve 53 companies, are all moving forward at a very high pace and are now in full execution. Important steps have been reached during RP2:
For the prototype of a new generation of germanium-based detectors all components are in the manufacturing phase with very active industry involvement. Development of new technologies for design, production and metrology of novel, highest quality optics is progressing as scheduled. The pre-commercial procurement (PCP) on mirror figuring techniques is now in the execution phase, while the final grating prototypes based on e-beam lithography have been successfully produced and are now in the testing phase. The joint activities on sample environments with high standardization and synchronization, as well as novel positioning and metrology systems are making rapid progress with industry support through extensive subcontracting, all are in the production stage. The prototypes for novel, highly advanced, but also cost-effective undulators (magnetic structures and the actual sources of the X-rays) together with two measurement benches for quality control of these undulators, are making excellent progress and are nearing completion, except for one device which is affected by the cyberattack on HZB. Exchange with industry towards a possible knowledge transfer is ongoing. Finally, together with industrial partners, methods for data compression in full-field synchrotron tomography, which produce very large data volumes, were developed and adoption into practice has started.
Industry networking and addressing industry as users has been facilitated through a number of European events and workshops during RP2, an in-depth industry survey which is nearing completion and a very successful SME user programme. These activities are complemented by pilot actions with user clusters and EU partnerships such as expert workshops, round tables and a Battery Research Forum. A pilot co-creation call is in its execution phase with three highly collaborative projects.
In the context of open innovation, LEAPS-INNOV has started to test tools for effective interaction with industry. The PCP is currently in its third phase and tools like competitive dialog procurement and subcontracting include innovative companies, particularly SMEs, into the technology developments from the start with active knowledge transfer between LEAPS facilities and industry.
The six technology WPs, which together involve 53 companies, are all moving forward at a very high pace and are now in full execution. Important steps have been reached during RP2:
For the prototype of a new generation of germanium-based detectors all components are in the manufacturing phase with very active industry involvement. Development of new technologies for design, production and metrology of novel, highest quality optics is progressing as scheduled. The pre-commercial procurement (PCP) on mirror figuring techniques is now in the execution phase, while the final grating prototypes based on e-beam lithography have been successfully produced and are now in the testing phase. The joint activities on sample environments with high standardization and synchronization, as well as novel positioning and metrology systems are making rapid progress with industry support through extensive subcontracting, all are in the production stage. The prototypes for novel, highly advanced, but also cost-effective undulators (magnetic structures and the actual sources of the X-rays) together with two measurement benches for quality control of these undulators, are making excellent progress and are nearing completion, except for one device which is affected by the cyberattack on HZB. Exchange with industry towards a possible knowledge transfer is ongoing. Finally, together with industrial partners, methods for data compression in full-field synchrotron tomography, which produce very large data volumes, were developed and adoption into practice has started.
Industry networking and addressing industry as users has been facilitated through a number of European events and workshops during RP2, an in-depth industry survey which is nearing completion and a very successful SME user programme. These activities are complemented by pilot actions with user clusters and EU partnerships such as expert workshops, round tables and a Battery Research Forum. A pilot co-creation call is in its execution phase with three highly collaborative projects.
In the context of open innovation, LEAPS-INNOV has started to test tools for effective interaction with industry. The PCP is currently in its third phase and tools like competitive dialog procurement and subcontracting include innovative companies, particularly SMEs, into the technology developments from the start with active knowledge transfer between LEAPS facilities and industry.
LEAPS-INNOV has made remarkable progress towards structuring joint technology development and innovation within the LEAPS community. The design and experimental work contributes to developing new cutting-edge technologies for LEAPS and synchrotron and FEL facilities worldwide. All are expected to reach high TRL levels and fast deployment into application. All achievements are directly spread into the LEAPS community, which critically enhances the scientific competitiveness and technological sovereignty of these European Research Infrastructures in the long term.
The close interaction with industry already at an early stage of technology development through industrial beneficiaries, strategic procurement, workshops and participation in industry forums supports the innovation potential and technological sovereignty of the involved companies and facilitates the creation of new markets. Both, the RI experts and industrial partners are using these opportunities and have setup very regular exchange.
An additional focus is placed on industry relations as well as outreach into the user community, significantly contribute to fostering new partnership between industry and the photon sources on various levels, with the goal of accumulating a strategy for long-term industry engagement for LEAPS in Europe. Joint actions of the LEAPS community, such as the LEAPS-INNOV SME access program, contribute to quantitative and qualitative improvements of the services provided by the research infrastructures.
Overall, the work carried out so far within LEAPS-INNOV has significantly contributed to increasing the level of cooperation within LEAPS and on collaboration with industry – these outcomes can be built upon long-term and expanded in the future.
The close interaction with industry already at an early stage of technology development through industrial beneficiaries, strategic procurement, workshops and participation in industry forums supports the innovation potential and technological sovereignty of the involved companies and facilitates the creation of new markets. Both, the RI experts and industrial partners are using these opportunities and have setup very regular exchange.
An additional focus is placed on industry relations as well as outreach into the user community, significantly contribute to fostering new partnership between industry and the photon sources on various levels, with the goal of accumulating a strategy for long-term industry engagement for LEAPS in Europe. Joint actions of the LEAPS community, such as the LEAPS-INNOV SME access program, contribute to quantitative and qualitative improvements of the services provided by the research infrastructures.
Overall, the work carried out so far within LEAPS-INNOV has significantly contributed to increasing the level of cooperation within LEAPS and on collaboration with industry – these outcomes can be built upon long-term and expanded in the future.