Political discourse with members of the German parliament

At the federal level, the course for research is set in the Committee for Education, Research and Technology Assessment. Dr Petra Sitte (Member of the German Bundestag, Die Linke), Vice Chair of this committee, travelled to Hamburg on Tuesday, 15 August 2023 with expert politician Ralph Lenkert (Member of the German Bundestag, Die Linke) for a technical exchange with members of the DESY Directorate. The members of the Bundestag were impressed by DESY as a place of cutting-edge research with its world-leading X-ray light sources.

X-ray light sources ensure the advancement of knowledge and technology

To kick off the visit, Helmut Dosch, Chairman of the DESY Directorate, explained the dimensions and interrelationships of the DESY research facilities. In the research environment, which is unique for Germany, all user groups are given joint access to first-rate scientific facilities - regardless of whether they work in national or international scientific initiatives. The development opportunities for national technology transfer that would be created by the planned PETRA IV X-ray light source and the innovative power for industry and society that can be expected from DESY's future project PETRA IV were then discussed together during the professional exchange.

From the research facility to the innovation zone

After the stimulating discussion, the path led to the Max von Laue experimental hall. There, Harald Reichert, project manager of PETRA IV, explained to the political experts how X-ray light is used to develop medicines. Of particular interest was the involvement of the PETRA III research facility in the development of the mRNA vaccine by Biontech. The company used DESY's X-ray light source PETRA III to research the mode of action of the lipid envelopes of its mRNA vaccines.

At the end of the day, Dr. Thomas Gebert, Managing Director of WiredSense, reported on the perfect framework conditions for science start-ups in the northwest of Hamburg. WiredSense is a young research and technology company that uses the attractive infrastructure of the innovation centre "Start-up Labs Bahrenfeld" on the research campus in Hamburg-Bahrenfeld. As a joint project of DESY, the University of Hamburg and the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the Start-Up Labs aim to actively promote technology transfer and support researchers in their spin-offs.