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Partnership
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The EMBL Outstation in Hamburg was established in 1974 on the site of the Deutsche Elektronen-Synchrotron [DESY] to use synchrotron radiation for structural biology. Building on their 30-year track record of successful cooperation, DESY and EMBL formalized a new interdisciplinary partnership for the future – looking to provide new generations of top quality infrastructures for life science applications in May 2004.
"EMBL has recognized that the future of biology is in interdisciplinary research opportunities – giving our scientists the chance to work with researchers from other disciplines," notes Matthias Wilmanns, Head of EMBL Hamburg. "The physics expertise at DESY is a perfect complement for our research activities at EMBL.
A key component to the collaboration is the plan to upgrade the current beamline facilities to provide state-of-the-art services with the conversion of the PETRA ring into a dedicated synchrotron radiation source. This PETRA ring upgrade will begin in 2007 and after it is complete, it will make EMBL and DESY global competitors in this arena. The new facilities will allow researchers to use the unique features of the ring for novel life science applications. These include advances in protein crystallography, small angle X-ray scattering and Xray absorption spectroscopy of biology material. These services will be made broadly available to the global structural biology community, as well as being used internally by EMBL and DESY scientists.
"DESY has a long tradition of involving the large user communities in the design, construction and operation of its facilities. The collaboration with EMBL has been particularly fruitful over the last 30 years. With the upgraded PETRA storage ring and the European XFEL facility [X-ray Free-Electron Laser] – to be built in Hamburg and begin operation in 2012 – we are in an exceptionally good position to promote research and usage of both synchrotron radiation and free-electron laser radiation for life science applications. These possibilities have the potential to revolutionarize the field," notes Prof. Jochen R. Schneider, Research Director at DESY.
Within this new agreement, the two organizations will collaborate on joint research and development projects in life sciences and related fields of physics and technology. The cooperation will also extend to the common organization of joint seminars, symposia or workshops and other scientific events.
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