Political discourse with members of the German parliament

PETRA IV is to be the world's most potent machine with unique ability to produce highly brilliant X-ray radiation. Therefore, PETRA III is supposed to be reconstructed and the facility on the whole will be expanded. Starting in 2024, this process is expected to endure eigth years and will cost about 1.37 billion Euros. The German gouvernment as well as the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg would have to invest this sum in DESY's future project. Yesterday, 19 members of the German parliament and further staff discussed PETRA IV’s potential for Germany’s innovation system, the relevance of research on the molecular level in Berlin.

Helmut Dosch, chairman of DESY’s board of directors, made a short introduction to PETRA IV, before Harald Reichert, PETRA IV project leader, answered the attendee’s questions. Katharina Fegebank, 2nd mayor of hamburg and senator of science, confirmed the city’s support for the project and pointed out several opportunities the future research facility would add to the German state as a global science player.

Henning Fehrmann, engineer, Hamburg-based entrepreneur and worldwide leading innovation expert, explained how the future service-orientated concept of facility access will help the industry to experiment with PETRA IV: this is fuel for innovation!

An obvious reason to finance the reconstruction and expandation of the existing facility into PETRA IV fast is the economic competition between leading global players. At the moment, German research facilities for X-ray analysis rank in the worldwide top positions. PETRA IV will make sure that Germny will stay on top. Despite the fact that French ESRF ist the most potent facility in the world right now, China, the U.S. and Japan level up their sources of synchrotrone radiation to the next generation.

Across all political parties, all political representatives agreed to the fact that PETRA IV is a high priority project in terms of sustaining Germany’s technological sovereignty.

Europe will gain a leading role on a global scale only if PETRA IV will be built. A unique combination of revolutionary accelerator technology, AI based analysis and the biggest accelartor ring worldwide will make PETRA IV the most potent research facilityof its kind.