LEAPS pilot to foster open innovation for accelerator-based light sources in Europe

The European synchrotron radiation sources and free electron lasers serve a broad scientific community with more than 24000 users and play a vital role in most research fields from basic science in physics, chemistry and biology to applied areas in health, engineering, environment, cultural heritage and high-impact industrial applications.

Rising international competition requires the European facilities to coordinate and combine complementary strengths and capabilities.

Established in 2017, the League of European Accelerator-Based Photon Sources (LEAPS) seeks to realise synergies across Europes light sources.

The increasing complexity of technology and a shorter life cycle require the photon sources to open up innovation to their partner facilities, users and industrial suppliers to promote creativity, novelty and resource efficiency.

The LEAPS-INNOV pilot project will contribute to solving key technological challenges for the light sources, over 50 facilities in Europe and worldwide, and in particular will support their newest generation - diffraction-limited storage rings and X-ray FELs.

It will kick-start the implementation of the LEAPS Technology Roadmap and, at the same time, will enhance partnership with industry through open innovation by offering joint technological developments and advanced research capabilities for industry as collaborators, suppliers and users.Six technology work packages (WP) form the heart of LEAPS-INNOV, based on their potential for co-innovation and their ability to enhance European leadership of both, LEAPS facilities and industry.

They integrate 50-some companies, are supported by an industry networking WP and complemented by pilot activities towards co-creation with the Horizon Europe clusters.

In the context of open innovation, LEAPS-INNOV focusses on new approaches for partnership between industry and the photon science community, with the goal of accumulating a strategy for long-term industry engagement for LEAPS in Europe