Reasearchers from UPJŠ v Košice, TUKE in cooperation with experts of other Slovak scientific institutions have taken up the preparation of the organization of School of XFEL and Synchrotron Radiation Users 2024 “SFEL 2024”. The event is aimed at educating the Slovak photon and neutron source user community for research projects of Slovak scientists. SFEL 2024, similarly to previous successful editions, is prepared by the UPJŠ in Košice, its Institute of Physics of the Faculty of Sciences in close cooperation with the FMMR TUKE and the Centre for Lifelong Learning and Project Support of the UPJŠ, based on the approval of the three main co-organisers: the European XFEL GmbH, the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic and the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic.
ORGANISERS:
European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility GmbH
Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic
Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic
Pavol Jozef Šafárika Univerzity in Košice, Faculty of Science, Lifelong Learning Centre and Projects Support
Technical Univerzity of Košice, Faculty of Materials, Metallurgy and Recycling
Commission for coordination of Slovak activities in ESFRI projects
Slovak Centre of Scientific and Technical Information
The European X-Ray Free Electron Laser Facility in Hamburg (European XFEL), the most powerful X-ray laser in the world, was founded and built by an international consortium of 11 member countries and has been in operation since 1 September 2017 also with the participation of Slovak scientists. The Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic acts as a shareholder in European XFEL GmbH, an international company with limited liability under German law, on the basis of a mandate from the Government of the Slovak Republic. Aware of the need to promote the importance of the XFEL facility in the Slovak scientific community and at the same time of the need to educate future XFEL users, the National Commission for the Coordination of the activities of the Slovak Republic in ESFRI in the field of physical sciences, material sciences and energy devices is organising the 8th annual scientific school on the use of synchrotron radiation sources in the research of the structure of living and non-living matter, which, as a source of the fourth-highest generation, includes the European XFEL in Hamburg.
This year’s scientific school “SFEL2024” will traditionally be held at the hotel Sorea Máj in Liptovský Ján from 14.10.-18.10.2024, and again with the financial support of the company European XFEL GmbH and the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic. The financial support will enable Slovak and foreign students, PhD students and young researchers to participate in SFEL 2024. For the second time, it will also be organised in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Slovak Republic on the basis of a joint memorandum of cooperation with UPJŠ. The organisers are assisted by the CVTI SR with the promotion of the event. The event will be attended by top experts not only from European XFEL but also from other international scientific centres. There will be lectures delivered by scientific directors of XFEL and leaders of its selected methodologies. In addition, there is also space for users of neutron sources at ILL Grenoble, BNC Budapest, CV Řež, major synchrotron radiation sources such as ESRF Grenoble, Max IV Lab from Lund University, Diamond light Source Ltd in London, Solaris Krakow, DESY Hamburg and others. Also thanks to the previous editions of SFEL we are able to ensure that also Slovak scientists who participate professionally in XFEL methodologies, synchrotron sources and neutron sources have a space to present their experiences and resulsts. The organisers expect around 80 participants from more than 10 countries to actively participate in the school. The scientific program of the school will be focused on selected experimental techniques that use XFEL and important sources of synchrotron and neutron radiation. For the second time, space will also be selected for the presentation of modern laboratory X-ray equipments. Increased attention will be paid to the possibilities of using XFEL, photons, neutron scattering, imaging techniques in materials research as well as in biological applications. The transfer of experience and knowledge from renowned international and national invited experts to the SFEL2024 participants will be carried out in the form of invited plenary lectures, shorter oral presentations and contributions in the form of posters. The working language of the School will be English. A special volume of book of abstracts will also be published from the event. The organisers plan to announce a competition for the most valuable contribution in the poster category. Regarding the quality of the foreign and Slovak speakers, it is a realistic assumption that SFEL2024 will help the Slovak scientific community to successfully bid for projects at these state-of-the-art facilities in the future. Traditionally, the school will create a space for dialogue and networking for collaboration on joint scientific projects
All the necessary information on registration, the application for the participation grant, and the scientific programme was published on www.sfel.sk/2024/ in due course. The organizers also offer information about the past years to the public at www.sfel.sk.
We would like to invite all potential users and those interested in the event to register and actively participate.
prof. RNDr. Pavol Sovák, CSc.
Chairman of the SFEL 2024 Organizing Committee
v.r.
