PIER is pleased to announce the kick-off workshop for HICAPE - Hamburg International Center for Accelerators, Photonics and Entrepreneurship (formerly known as HIPACE), taking place on 5 December 2025, 9am - 2pm at the FLASH seminar room. The workshop is chaired by Robert Feidenhans'l, scientific director of the HICAPE initiative.
The HICAPE initiative aims to establish Hamburg as a world-class hub for photonics and accelerator research by bringing together the cutting-edge photonic and accelerator technologies, expertise, and infrastructures available in the city. The objective is to attract the world’s most talented and innovative minds to Hamburg to address pressing societal challenges through technological advancements and innovation. HICAPE is a joint initiative of the three partners DESY, UHH and EuXFEL. Further partners are in discussion.
The aim of the event is to facilitate a platform for mutual exchange and in-depth discussions on future directions in photonics and accelerator research within the framework of HICAPE. Special emphasis will be placed on technology transfer and innovation.
Speakers and talks (see pdf for full program (tentative)):
Robert Feidenhans'l (HICAPE): Welcome
Introductory talks
- Wim Leemans (DESY): Hamburg : A unique place for Accelerators, Photonics and Entrepreneurship
- Francesca Calegari (DESY): HICAPE a new collaborative center embedded in PIER Hamburg Bahrenfeld and beyond
- Wolfgang Hillert (UHH): Accelerator R&D in Hamburg: A success story of an outstanding cooperation of Universität Hamburg and DESY
- Thomas Tschentscher (EuXFEL): Research with X-Ray Photons in HICAPE
Recent Highlights in Research
- Patrick Rauer (DESY, previously EuXFEL): True Lasing at European XFEL
- Ke Li (UHH): Human-AI-Robot Synergy for Accelerators
- Vincent Wanie (DESY): Generation and application of few-femtosecond ultraviolet light pulses
- Andreas Maier (DESY): Plasma Acceleration at DESY
Entrepreneurship
- Franz Kärtner (DESY): Photonics and Entrepreneurship
- Priyanka Shah (IF): Impossible Founders
- Thomas Golz (Class 5 Photonics): Class 5 Photonics
