Visit of European Research Council president Bourguignon in Hamburg City Hall

19 June, 2017

On the occasion of “Europe Week 2017” the Hamburg Ministry for Science (BWFG) hosts a ceremony in the Hamburg city hall on 19 June 2017, with European Research Council (ERC) President Prof. Jean-Pierre Bourguignon.

Jochen Küpper, ERC Consolidator Grant awardee

The President of the European Research Council (ERC)Prof. Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, visited DESY and the International Science Campus Hamburg-Bahrenfeld during his visit to Hamburg. After a welcome address by Frank LehnerDESY's co-ordinator for Cooperations and International Affairs, and the European-XFEL CEO Robert Feidenhans'l, President Bourguignon, trained and active mathematician, met for exchange with the ERC awardees on campus. He was interested not only in their research projects, which cover a wide range of topics in physical sciences, but also in the challenges that the grantees have to cope with in their ERC supported projects and the impact of the ERC funding on their careers.

Subsequently, President Bourguignon learned about the wide range of research opportunities at the research center's high-brilliancy research light sources. He was updated by the experts from the DESY accelerator control room about the latest state of commissioning of the European XFEL X-ray laser.

The ERC, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, was founded by the European Union. Its aim is to promote forward-looking research and to bring researchers on the highest international level to Europe. To this end, it promotes research projects in Europe from all disciplines with generous individual grants. Currently, eleven researchers at DESY are supported by ERC grants, totaling 19.7 million €.

After his DESY visit, the ERC president, together with Katharina Fegebank, the Hamburg Science Senator, visited the Universität Hamburg, including the University Clinic, UKE Eppendorf. After DESY, the Universität Hamburg has received the second largest amount of ERC funding in Hamburg within the funding program "Horizon 2020". Tonight, Prof. Bourguignon is a special guest at an evening senate reception with the participation of several of DESY's ERC awardees, including Jochen Küpper.

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