The PIER Day started with a welcome from the head of the PIER Executive Board Francesca Calegari (DESY/UHH). In her opening remarks, she outlined the role of PIER as facilitator for initiating and intensifying research collaboration between DESY and Universität Hamburg scientists by providing seed funding for joint research activities, organizing workshops on joint research perspectives and offering opportunities for informal exchange and networking.
 
In the first session, three highlights from the PIER Seed Projects funding program were presented to give participants an idea of the possible scope and impact of research activities funded by PIER. Ifey Alio (UHH) presented outcomes of her project “Insights into the biofilm lifestyle of the opportunistic pathogen Stenotrophomonas maltophilia” (project is ongoing). Christoph Reinhardt (DESY) gave insights into his project “Cryogenic pressure sensor for gas cooling of test masses for future gravitational wave detectors” (funding period: 2021-2022). Lastly, Vincent Wanie (DESY) offered an overview on his project “High-repetition-rate ultraviolet beamline for high-statistic spectroscopy at the few-femtosecond timescale” (funding period: 2021-2023).

The lunch break provided the opportunity for personal exchange and networking among the participants. In addition, a poster session offered the chance to meet PIs from recent and current PIER Seed Projects and learn more about their joint DESY-UHH/or UKE research activities.

The first session in the afternoon was reserved for the discussion of future joint DESY and Universität Hamburg (and in some cases further partners’) research perspectives in the fields of Quantum technologies & quantum computing (Henning Moritz, UHH; Kai Rossnagel, DESY/CAU Kiel), Detector research (Heinz Graafsma, DESY), Biology, biomedicine and chemistry (Markus Glatzel, UKE), Materials research (Patrick Huber, DESY/TUHH; Wolfgang Parak, UHH) and HIPACE (Francesca Calegari, DESY/UHH). Most of these topics had been covered by dedicated PIER workshops organized in 2023 which successfully sparked exchange among DESY and UHH researchers. Further workshops are planned for 2024 to continue these fruitful discussions and initiate additional ones.

The second afternoon session started with a short overview by the president of Universität Hamburg, Hauke Heekeren, of PIER PLUS, a collaboration of Hamburg universities and non-university research institutions in the Hamburg metropolitan area. Following talks provided brief inputs on PETRA IV (Harald Reichert, DESY) and planned joint UHH and DESY activities in the context of (follow-up) cluster proposals in next round of the excellence strategy (Klaus Sengstock, UHH; Erika Garutti, UHH; Blanche Schwappach-Pignataro, UKE; Konrad Hirschler, UHH).

The following panel discussion “Strong partners for science made in Hamburg: Future perspectives of joint DESY and Universität Hamburg activities in research” was moderated by the science journalist Ralf Krauter. Leading representatives of DESY, Universität Hamburg and Universitätsklinikum Eppendorf (Helmut Dosch, DESY; Hauke Heekeren, UHH; Norbert Ritter, UHH; Blanche Schwappach-Pignataro, UHH/UKE) expressed their conviction that the cooperation in PIER on and beyond Bahrenfeld campus should be further intensified in the future. They all agreed that Hamburg has what it takes to become one of the most renowned science hotspots in Germany and that the aim should be for all actors in the academic and political sphere to join forces now in order to realize this huge potential.

PIER would like to thank all participants in the PIER Day for their efforts and dedicated work to turn this event into a successful day with lively exchange and fruitful discussions. Special thanks go to the PIs of the PIER Seed Projects presenting their projects in the morning session and during the poster session. We are looking very much forward to the PIER Day in 2024!

Photograph: Stefanie Tepass