The first LEAPS-INNOV Annual Meeting took place as a face-to-face meeting in a hybrid format from 3 to 5 May 2022, in the beautiful Casa Convalescencia, Barcelona (Spain). As the LEAPS-INNOV kick-off meeting was purely digital due to the pandemic, coordinators and all project members participating were delighted meeting in person the first time in this terrific atmosphere.
Caterina Biscari, LEAPS Vice-Chair and ALBA CELLS director, followed by Elke Plönjes, the LEAPS-INNOV Scientific Coordinator, opened the Annual Meeting with a cordial Welcome of the 160 participants (110 attending in person) at the venue in Barcelona. The first two half days were dedicated to individual sessions for the work packages (WP) allowing detailed face to face discussions and brainstorming on achieved and planned work in a fruitful atmosphere and with an individual WP socialising during the first evening.
Participants in the first Annual Meeting of LEAPS-INNOV (Photo by P. Segura 2022)
The Plenary Session on the second day was opened by a cordial Welcome and introductory talk by the Scientific Coordinator Elke Plönjes (DESY). She highlighted the LEAPS-INNOV pilot project focussing on the implementation of new strategies and activities for partnerships between industry and the photon science community. Thus, the pilot project will contribute to solving key technological challenges for the next generation of photon sources.
The Plenary Session also included a brief introduction to the project context, an update concerning the project governance as well as a presentation on the project’s embedding consortium LEAPS (League of European Accelerator-based Photon Sources). In the context of open innovation, industry involvement was centrally included in the program, reflected as specific talks, and a panel discussion with the Innovation Advisory Board.
The last day of the Annual Meeting included reports of all WPs with detailed insight on the work done within the first year of the LEAPS-INNOV project. The work reports illustrated the progress and achievements of the overall project and highlighted relevant next actions for the upcoming project.
Plenary Session in the beautiful Casa Convalescencia (Photo by P. Segura 2022)
In addition to the fixed WP and plenary meetings, the agenda of the LEAPS-INNOV Annual Meeting 2022 granted plenty of opportunities for formal as well as informal exchange. Altogether, the mixture of informative and insightful presentations, exchange formats such as Q&As and discussions contributed to an engaging, lively and successful hybrid event in Barcelona.