With almost 1000 publications, 374 access projects and 952 users, the EU-funded initiative Laserlab-Europe V concluded its impactful five-year journey in November 2024, leaving a significant mark on the European laser research landscape and beyond.

Bringing together 35 leading laser Research Infrastructures (RIs) across 18 countries, Laserlab-Europe V formed a uniquely comprehensive and collaborative consortium, fostering cross-disciplinary research and innovation. Through its coordinated Transnational Access (TNA) programme, the project offered research opportunities to scientists from all over the world to an Integrated Infrastructure whose combined technical capability and expertise have no counterpart worldwide.

Over the course of the project, Laserlab-Europe provided 3963 access days to 952 users, notably exceeding its original commitments. Remarkably, 70 percent of these users were first-time beneficiaries – a clear testament to the programme’s ongoing appeal, vitality, and resilience in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joint effort by a German-French team, with colleagues from Synchrotron SOLEIL, LOA, PhLAM and HZDR. Access Highlight in Laserlab-Europe newsletter #36. Photo: HZDR/Sylvio Dittrich

Laserlab-Europe’s networking activities played a vital role in strengthening ties among project partners, linking Laserlab-Europe to the user community and emerging Pan-European laser research infrastructures. These initiatives not only enhanced the efficiency of R&D and maximized innovation potential, but also fostered deeper collaboration among researchers and raised awareness of the transformative capabilities of laser technologies.

Key networking highlights included the publication of the Laserlab Forum newsletter (nine issues since December 2019), and the European Laser Landscape – produced in collaboration with ELI ERIC. Additionally, the Laserlab-Europe Conference served as a flagship event, showcasing Laserlab-Europe’s scientific achievements and societal impacts to a broad audience. Strategic bridge workshops with Science@FELs further facilitated cross-community exchange and collaboration.

Laserlab-Europe placed strong emphasis on developing human capital in laser science through various training and capacity-building activities. These programs targeted researchers from underrepresented regions and emerging scientific domains, ensuring a broad and inclusive user community.

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which temporarily limited in-person interactions, Laserlab-Europe adapted its training efforts, shifting to virtual formats where needed. After the pandemic, workshops, hands-on courses, and summer schools continued to offer valuable learning opportunities, equipping participants with cutting-edge knowledge and practical skills to advance their research careers.

Photo 1: ICFO, Photo 2: TU Graz, Photo 3: VULRC

PRISES – Primary and Secondary Sources (bottlenecks, metrology, diagnostics tools) and advanced application workstations

PRISES integrated the improvement of both ultra-short high-power lasers and secondary energetic radiation and particle sources to the development of workstations for multi-scale applications. During the project period, new diagnostics were implemented to investigate aging and damaging of laser materials and optics in order to improve the robustness of the primary lasers. Thanks to a better understanding of laser-matter interaction, and in combination to new simulation codes, the reliability of the secondary sources was also optimized, as well as their beam parameters that reach now unprecedented values. X-ray and ion irradiation workstations were thus established and optimized.

ALTIS – Advanced Laser-based Techniques for Imaging and Spectroscopy in material science and biomedicine

ALTIS addressed the needs for new and innovative methodologies and platforms for advanced imaging and spectroscopy in the fields of biomedicine, bio- and nano-materials and environmental science. The partners have jointly worked to expand current tools from the nano- to the micro-metre scale and implement their combination with manipulation methods to probe the biophysical response of samples to external stimuli, while expanding the usability of label-free, non-perturbing, techniques. Capabilities of already developed technologies have also been joint together and powered to allow fast single-cell resolution imaging and probing rapid signalling in living samples.

Laserlab-Europe concluded in November 2024, transitioning seamlessly into its successor, Lasers4EU. This evolution signifies a continued commitment to enhancing Europe’s position in laser science and technology.

Officially launched on 1 October 2024, Lasers4EU brings together 29 leading laser research institutions from 15 European countries. The project aims at providing coordinated access, enhancing European Laser Infrastructure, and advancing training and development.

Through these initiatives, both Laserlab-Europe and Lasers4EU have and will significantly contribute to advancing laser research and applications, reinforcing Europe’s leadership in this critical field.