How can Europe translate its scientific strengths into innovation and economic value creation? This question was at the heart of Joanna Drake’s visit to DESY and European XFEL on 16 September. The Deputy Director-General of the European Commission for Research and Innovation learned about research infrastructures, technology transfer and European collaborations on the DESY campus.

Following an overview of the research activities at DESY and European XFEL, as well as the development of the Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld, Drake discussed current European research policy issues with representatives from science, politics and public administration. Topics included the importance of fundamental research, technological sovereignty and innovation, as well as how scientific findings can be translated into applications more quickly.

Rolf Greve, State Councillor at the Hamburg Ministry of Science, Research and Equality, emphasised the importance of national and international partnerships. He highlighted the particular importance of strong European networks that bring science and industry together. He also identified the close cooperation between science, industry, politics and public administration as one of Hamburg’s strengths.

The contribution of such networks and research infrastructures to the European research landscape was subsequently illustrated by DESY. Beate Heinemann, Chair of the DESY Directorate, presented, among other things, the PETRA IV future project, European collaborations and the League of European Accelerator-based Photon Sources (LEAPS). The links between research, technology development and knowledge transfer were also discussed.

“Europe has outstanding research infrastructures and scientific expertise. DESY is a great example of this: we bring together cutting-edge research, major research infrastructures and European collaborations. Joanna Drake’s visit has shown how important it is to bring these strengths even closer together and develop them jointly,” said Beate Heinemann.

At the DESY Innovation Village, the focus was on connecting research with practical applications. Drake learned about technology transfer and support for deep-tech start-ups in the Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld.

Thomas Feurer, Chairman of the Management Board of European XFEL, presented the research facility and current scientific developments. The discussion also covered the facility’s future perspectives and new fields of research, including work related to fusion research. “To build a commercially viable fusion power plant, we need to understand precisely how materials behave under the enormous pressures and temperatures required for fusion. The extremely short and brilliant X-ray pulses generated by European XFEL are ideally suited to this,” said Feurer.

The visit concluded at DESY’s PETRA III X-ray source, where Drake gained an insight into ongoing research and visited an experimental station of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). “It is important for us to show what we do and the contribution that modern research facilities make to science, technology and innovation. Only through close European cooperation can we remain competitive globally. Support from the European Commission is a decisive factor in this,” said Britta Redlich, Director of Photon Science at DESY.

A central theme of the discussions was how Europe can better connect its existing scientific and technological strengths. Drake compared this to a relay race: there is no need to build the same capabilities everywhere; rather, the focus should be on connecting existing strengths and facilitating exchange between regions, research institutions and innovation hubs. At the same time, she emphasised the importance of reliable support for fundamental research as the basis for new scientific and technological developments.