Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EURIZON (European network for developing new horizons for RIs)
Période du rapport: 2021-08-01 au 2023-01-31
The EURIZON project is about European scientific and technical collaboration in the field of research infrastructures (RIs), and it includes a special focus on coordination and support measures dedicated to support Ukrainian scientists and the capacity building of the Ukrainian RI landscape.
After the start of the Russian war against Ukraine, the entire project has undergone a thorough change and comprehensive amendment that has resulted in an adjusted set-up: The participation of previous Russian consortium partners has been terminated, the scientific-technical work packages have reorganised their tasks, and two work packages have been introduced with specific coordination and support measures dedicated to support science in Ukraine.
The project operates in two directions:
Direction one is the European scientific-technical collaboration along research infrastructures (RIs) and RI upgrade projects. Through six technical WPs, European teams develop cutting-edge instruments and novel technologies for selected European physical sciences and analytical RIs.
Direction two is a set of dedicated coordination and support measures for Ukrainian researchers and for the sustainability of Ukrainian RIs, including a broad Fellowship Programme for scientists in Ukraine and specific training measures for Ukrainian RI managers.
The overarching aim of EURIZON is to achieve a significantly higher level of cooperation among European partners and research communities in the area of research infrastructures, including Ukrainian RI landscape, and a closer integration of the Ukraine RI landscape to the European Research Area (ERA).
There are two main strategic objectives of the project:
First, to technically develop and push maximally forward advanced European RIs in close collaboration and to develop high-end and beyond state-of-the-art technologies and design components for physical and analytical RI. Specifically, ESFRI landmarks will benefit from EURIZON.
Secondly, to set up and implement a Fellowship programme for scientists in Ukraine, to set up a targeted training and staff exchange programme around RIs in Ukraine, and to contribute to capacity building and recovery of the Ukrainian RI landscape as much as possible under the existing circumstances.
After the start of the Russian war against Ukraine, the entire project has undergone a thorough change and comprehensive amendment that has resulted in an adjusted set-up: The participation of previous Russian consortium partners has been terminated, the scientific-technical work packages have reorganised their tasks, and two work packages have been introduced with specific coordination and support measures dedicated to support science in Ukraine.
The project operates in two directions:
Direction one is the European scientific-technical collaboration along research infrastructures (RIs) and RI upgrade projects. Through six technical WPs, European teams develop cutting-edge instruments and novel technologies for selected European physical sciences and analytical RIs.
Direction two is a set of dedicated coordination and support measures for Ukrainian researchers and for the sustainability of Ukrainian RIs, including a broad Fellowship Programme for scientists in Ukraine and specific training measures for Ukrainian RI managers.
The overarching aim of EURIZON is to achieve a significantly higher level of cooperation among European partners and research communities in the area of research infrastructures, including Ukrainian RI landscape, and a closer integration of the Ukraine RI landscape to the European Research Area (ERA).
There are two main strategic objectives of the project:
First, to technically develop and push maximally forward advanced European RIs in close collaboration and to develop high-end and beyond state-of-the-art technologies and design components for physical and analytical RI. Specifically, ESFRI landmarks will benefit from EURIZON.
Secondly, to set up and implement a Fellowship programme for scientists in Ukraine, to set up a targeted training and staff exchange programme around RIs in Ukraine, and to contribute to capacity building and recovery of the Ukrainian RI landscape as much as possible under the existing circumstances.
The work carried out in the EURIZON project during its first and second periodic reporting covers a time span from February 2020 to January 2023.
Considering the enormous efforts for the reorganization of the project at all levels, after February 2022, the project implementation is well on track. The project consortium had to deal with the challenges of the COVID-pandemic during its first period, while during the second period had to respond to the dramatic challenges related to the Russian war against Ukraine, and the application of EU sanctions against Russia, and against Russian public entities.
In the area of the six technical work packages, the teams have achieved considerable progress:
In the area of heavy ions, a “mini CBM” (Compressed Baryonic Matter, one of the large experiments at FAIR) was setup, and several components were successfully tested, among them the data acquisition chain: a corresponding campaign with Oxygen beam at 2.0 AGeV was very successfully performed with, notably, a so far unachieved frequency of 1 MHz collision rates.
In the area of neutrons, the team has achieved a physical understanding of a low dimensional moderator (LDM) for neutron fluxes, including the LDM’s analytical description and the most promising shape of such LDM. Also, the conceptual design for a Cold Moderator Test Facility (CMTF) was developed, and its detailed engineering has been performed.
Regarding synchrotrons, a Conceptual Design Report (CDR) for a spectroscopy beamline including a detailed comparison of existing spectroscopy beamlines at 4th generation synchrotrons was completed.
The team working on “Lepton colliders” successfully shifted its work from a focus on developments for the Russian SCT detector project, towards the more general work for a high energy physics detector. One major achievement was the construction and testing of the detector prototypes for the cylindrical microRWELL detector.
In the area o high-power laser, progress was achieved in the development of advanced metrology of ultrashort laser beams, and the assembly of a prototype for spatio-temporal metrology of high-power femtosecond lasers was started. Training weeks on experimental laser-plasma physics have been conducted.
The “Detectors” team reshaped their task from developing a neutron detector for the PIK-reactor, to addressing the construction of a Multi-Grid detector for the neutron test beam facility at ESS. A “Detector School”, initially planned for Novosibirsk, was turned into a school relocated to a German university.
In the domain of non-technical WPs, a thorough reorganization of the programme was worked out and started: a “handbook on RI access” – dedicated originally to European scientists accessing Russian RIs – was turned into a more general handbook addressing structured access to RIs outside Europe. A set of newly designed coordination and support measures for sustaining science in Ukraine and for training Ukrainian RI managers was developed, and a group of Ukrainian RI managers were enrolled in the UNIMIB Master´s programme in RIs management. A substantial fellowship programme was designed, dedicated to support scientists in Ukraine through individual research grants.
Considering the enormous efforts for the reorganization of the project at all levels, after February 2022, the project implementation is well on track. The project consortium had to deal with the challenges of the COVID-pandemic during its first period, while during the second period had to respond to the dramatic challenges related to the Russian war against Ukraine, and the application of EU sanctions against Russia, and against Russian public entities.
In the area of the six technical work packages, the teams have achieved considerable progress:
In the area of heavy ions, a “mini CBM” (Compressed Baryonic Matter, one of the large experiments at FAIR) was setup, and several components were successfully tested, among them the data acquisition chain: a corresponding campaign with Oxygen beam at 2.0 AGeV was very successfully performed with, notably, a so far unachieved frequency of 1 MHz collision rates.
In the area of neutrons, the team has achieved a physical understanding of a low dimensional moderator (LDM) for neutron fluxes, including the LDM’s analytical description and the most promising shape of such LDM. Also, the conceptual design for a Cold Moderator Test Facility (CMTF) was developed, and its detailed engineering has been performed.
Regarding synchrotrons, a Conceptual Design Report (CDR) for a spectroscopy beamline including a detailed comparison of existing spectroscopy beamlines at 4th generation synchrotrons was completed.
The team working on “Lepton colliders” successfully shifted its work from a focus on developments for the Russian SCT detector project, towards the more general work for a high energy physics detector. One major achievement was the construction and testing of the detector prototypes for the cylindrical microRWELL detector.
In the area o high-power laser, progress was achieved in the development of advanced metrology of ultrashort laser beams, and the assembly of a prototype for spatio-temporal metrology of high-power femtosecond lasers was started. Training weeks on experimental laser-plasma physics have been conducted.
The “Detectors” team reshaped their task from developing a neutron detector for the PIK-reactor, to addressing the construction of a Multi-Grid detector for the neutron test beam facility at ESS. A “Detector School”, initially planned for Novosibirsk, was turned into a school relocated to a German university.
In the domain of non-technical WPs, a thorough reorganization of the programme was worked out and started: a “handbook on RI access” – dedicated originally to European scientists accessing Russian RIs – was turned into a more general handbook addressing structured access to RIs outside Europe. A set of newly designed coordination and support measures for sustaining science in Ukraine and for training Ukrainian RI managers was developed, and a group of Ukrainian RI managers were enrolled in the UNIMIB Master´s programme in RIs management. A substantial fellowship programme was designed, dedicated to support scientists in Ukraine through individual research grants.
The EURIZON consortium has shown its capability to react swiftly, coherently and in a targeted way to the extraordinary challenge that was posed by the outbreak of the shocking Russian war against Ukraine. The European teams of the WPs have reorganized their work programmes in a way that preserved the results already achieved before February 2022, and that allowed further joint European results within the given timeframe of the project.
Significant progress with socio-economic impact has been achieved towards the end of the second period of the project, in both directions of operation, scientific-technical and non-technical collaboration.
In the area of scientific-technical collaboration, the teams have achieved progress and first results in designing and developing novel and beyond state-of the-art technologies and instruments for several European physical sciences and analytical research infrastructures, including contributions to ESFRI landmarks as well as upgrade projects.
The impact of the newly introduced targeted coordination and support measures for sustaining science in Ukraine, under most difficult circumstances, is simply immeasurable and of utmost importance. By the end of period two of the project, all these measures had not yet been fully initiated. However, the necessary preparatory work, carried out together with Ukrainian partners of the consortium was dedicated to analyzing the context, to identifying the primary needs of Ukrainian scientists and to setting up initiatives that would effectively respond to their needs. Designing the support measures in WP9 and 10 required a deep understanding of the challenges and of the conditions in which Ukrainian scientist and RIs were operating. During this preliminary phase the EURIZON team successfully identified the appropriate actions, partners and procedures needed to provide the most urgent support, and to contribute to fostering ties between Ukrainian RI communities to EU communities.
Significant progress with socio-economic impact has been achieved towards the end of the second period of the project, in both directions of operation, scientific-technical and non-technical collaboration.
In the area of scientific-technical collaboration, the teams have achieved progress and first results in designing and developing novel and beyond state-of the-art technologies and instruments for several European physical sciences and analytical research infrastructures, including contributions to ESFRI landmarks as well as upgrade projects.
The impact of the newly introduced targeted coordination and support measures for sustaining science in Ukraine, under most difficult circumstances, is simply immeasurable and of utmost importance. By the end of period two of the project, all these measures had not yet been fully initiated. However, the necessary preparatory work, carried out together with Ukrainian partners of the consortium was dedicated to analyzing the context, to identifying the primary needs of Ukrainian scientists and to setting up initiatives that would effectively respond to their needs. Designing the support measures in WP9 and 10 required a deep understanding of the challenges and of the conditions in which Ukrainian scientist and RIs were operating. During this preliminary phase the EURIZON team successfully identified the appropriate actions, partners and procedures needed to provide the most urgent support, and to contribute to fostering ties between Ukrainian RI communities to EU communities.