Research infrastructures are important knowledge hubs that offer strong opportunities for scientific communities. Through scientific and technological advancements, they contribute to pressing solutions of our societies and have strong impacts on the socio-economic developments. However, almost all research facilities are concentrated in economically well-developed regions of the world. The synchrotron radiation source SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East), located in Jordan, represents a most notable exception, and another facility under planning is the African Light Source (AfLS), which is being designed to drive science, innovation and technologies for the regional needs in Africa. In this thematic table we discuss how research infrastructures could better contribute to capacity-building in economically less developed countries and how a transatlantic partnership could help to foster these developments.

This roundtable presents a comparison between the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) in the context of trust in science, using the “Confidence in research: researchers in the spotlight” report data as a touchstone. The analysis delves into the differences and similarities in perceptions, insights, and confidence levels – with a focus on the emerging role of AI and cybersecurity in research, their challenges and potential risks.
The discussion aims to explore how the EU and US are navigating this complex landscape, with an emphasis on the crucial role of effective science communication in bridging the gap between researchers, the public, and policymakers. Panelists will invite attendees to discuss pragmatic recommendations aimed at bolstering confidence in research and improving the communication of scientific knowledge to diverse audiences.

The First Quantum Revolution invoked ground-breaking technological advancements like transistors and lasers. With the new ability to control individual quantum objects the Second Quantum Revolution is evolving with an incredible speed, leading to disruptive novel technologies. They have the potential to revolutionize the way how we do science in future and to invoke a strong impact on our economy as well as on our society.
Paying tribute to this potential, there are many national funding lines in Europe and in North America to support research and commercialization, but only few transatlantic support programs.
This thematic roundtable will focus on the opportunities in Quantum Computing and Quantum Sensing, discuss what are important priorities, where opportunities for transatlantic cooperation are used in best practice, and where new cooperation can be further stimulated in science to encourage funding politics to support joined efforts.

Research security and research integrity have become key policy topics on both sides of the Atlantic in recent years. Practitioners, science managers and researchers in the EU and the US alike are addressing issues pertaining to dual use, espionage and cybersecurity. Whilst debates initially revolved around the People’s Republic of China, it has become clear that the challenges at hand are part of a much more complex and multifaceted paradigm shift in a fast-shifting world. Governments and scientific institutions must develop country-agnostic approaches and resilient structures to ensure that risks to research security are kept at bay and that no unwanted transfer of knowledge takes place. However, for National Laboratories like those in the US and Germany, a “one size fits all” approach to cooperation does not apply; thus, a “case by case”-approach must be taken. This means that, e.g., institutional partnerships must undergo rigorous screening, contracts and cooperation agreements need to be watertight, and individual (guest) scientists are subject to detailed vetting procedures.
Whilst we all agree that international collaboration is essential to tackle the grand challenges our societies are facing today (like climate change or the energy crisis), there is a risk resulting from the aforementioned security procedures: international scientific cooperation may become increasingly bureaucratic and therefore potentially less and less appealing to our researchers. The March 2024 JASON report also warns against the over-regulation of science and research.
The key question we would like to address at this thematic table therefore is: How can we ensure the vitality and longevity of transatlantic scientific cooperation in view of current geopolitical tensions and ever-growing legal concerns and administrative restrictions? The traditionally strong and trusted partnership between German and US scientists should be maintained and strengthened.

Sub-questions to be discussed include:

• Research Security Policy at National Laboratories
• What is the current approach to research security policy for National Laboratories in the US and Germany (and the EU)?
• Research Security Challenges at National Laboratories
• What specific security challenges arise in the context of research infrastructures and international user facilities at the US National Labs/Helmholtz Centers?
• What common problems are there currently in contract negotiations and the implementation of cooperation agreements?
• Addressing the Challenges
• What best practices or solutions are there to the issue discussed above?
• How can we build trust and work together across the sector to come up with pragmatic solutions for issues arising from research security measures in our respective countries?
• What can the two systems learn from each other with respect to research security?
• The Future of Cooperation
• What scientific fields and research areas are the most promising for bilateral cooperation (specifically between DoE National Labs and Helmholtz) and how can we support these partnerships also from a policy and administration perspective?
• How can we effectively continue to foster dialogue and exchange between practitioners in our countries?

The international debate on the governance of AI has gained immense traction in the past few years. One of the issues being discussed is how to govern the dual-use impact of AI, establishing international norms on the use of AI, while simultaneously respecting national technological, corporate, and security interests. National governments, such as the United States, and multilateral entities, such as the United Nations and NATO, have crafted frameworks to discuss and regulate the dual-use impact of AI. One of the problems that national and multilateral regulatory bodies face is the immense pace with which AI and AI-infused systems are developing. Also, the debates on commercial and security applications run in parallel, missing potential lessons from the opposite field. Another factor impacting international governance is geopolitical competition. This session highlights what different fields of research can contribute to a timely and viable governance framework for AI and its dual-use applicability.

This round table discussion will delve into the cutting-edge realms of laser fusion and novel accelerator concepts propelled by high-power lasers, with a focus on leveraging advancements in plasma science. Laser fusion, a potential avenue for clean energy production, harnesses intense laser beams to induce nuclear fusion reactions. The recent demonstration of Fusion Gain at the National Ignition Facility (Livermore, USA) has stimulated interest and support for fusion energy research in both the US and Germany, in particular with a new openness in Germany for participation in inertial fusion research. Novel accelerator concepts, powered by high-power lasers, present innovative pathways for particle acceleration, with implications spanning fundamental research to practical applications in compact light sources including FELs, injectors for high energy storage rings, future colliders, medicine and industry. Leading breakthroughs by research groups in Germany and the US may enable new industrial application areas and potential markets, particularly in secondary particle beams and radiations. The main technology hurdle for both laser fusion and novel accelerators is high power laser technology, as well as the cost and 24/7 availability and reliability of lasers. Through this discussion, experts from diverse fields will explore the latest developments, challenges, and opportunities in laser fusion and novel accelerator concepts, shedding light on the transformative potential of high-power laser technology development and plasma science in shaping the future of energy and particle beam technologies.

• What specific laser technology hurdles must fusion science and laser-driven accelerator science overcome to become widely used in research, industry, and society? Which are most important? Can transatlantic cooperation help? How?
• Is there a US-European gap in high-power laser technology?
• Are laser-driven fusion and accelerator research largely independent of each other, or should we start thinking about them as synergistic? (For example fast ignition particle sources, and/or ultra-fast X-ray back-lighters, emerging from advanced accelerator research)

Semiconductor chip manufacturing has undoubtedly become the most advanced, complex and cost-effective production industry in the world. At the same time availability of semiconductor chips has become crucial to all modern economies; the microelectronics value and supply chains have become extensively global and interdependent. The fragility of the supply chain and dependence on Asian supply links has led to initiatives such as the US CHIPS act and the EU’s Chips Act. However, introducing resilience or robustness in the supply and value chains will make them less cost-effective and manufacturing ever smaller "high end" chips continues to become increasingly more expensive as Moore’s law approaches the physical limits. Additional pressures result from the need for energy and power efficiency, sustainability, and new computing architectures. All of these aspects may be tackled with new design architectures, standards for customized chiplet production, and the introduction of new technologies and material systems. Chiplet design, system-technology-cooptimization (STCO), advanced packaging, performance security, characterization, test and validation technologies, and the creation of standards for chiplets, e.g. “Bunch of Wires” (BoW) or open source “Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express” (UCIe), offer opportunities for transatlantic cooperation.
This table will discuss strategies for effective information exchange and new opportunities for transatlantic cooperation in chip production and microelectronics.

The concept of Open Science with its pillars Open scientific knowledge, Open science infrastructures, Open engagement of societal actors and Open dialogue with other knowledge systems (UNESCO 2021) is playing an increasingly important role not only at national level, but also in international scientific collaboration. We will discuss some aspects of Open Science with regard to the „Principles & Policies for International Scientific Collaboration“ formulated by the international round table of physics organizations. How could these crucial principles Integrity, Transparency and Reciprocity be realized under the conditions of Open Science, what can governments do to enable collaboration, and what additional aspects do we need to consider in view of today’s global challenges and growing political tensions in the world?

Many of the crucial technologies for the transition to a fossile free energy system, such as solar cells, batteries, fuel cells and electrolyzer, depend on the transport, storage and conversion of electrical carriers. Even though these technologies are already at an advanced stage of development, there is still massive room for further performance and cost improvement, as well as extension of the functional lifetime. Especially for the latter, recently often captured under the heading Science of Resilience, strong synergies seem to be possible between these different applications areas. In this table, we aim to explore what research needs and opportunities exist in this context, and what Big Science and Transatlantic Collaboration can contribute.

As global tensions rise, Western cooperation in science diplomacy becomes more critical. The US and EU, powerhouses in scientific research, must leverage their combined expertise to tackle pressing issues. Besides deepening the cooperation between western countries, science diplomacy offers unique chances to continue the dialogue with more challenging regions and can help to build trust on a global scale.
A robust and transatlantically concerted science diplomacy framework fosters trust by facilitating joint research projects on climate change, pandemics, and technological innovation. This not only accelerates scientific progress but also cultivates shared goals among researchers and policymakers. Furthermore, a unified Western front on scientific issues strengthens global leadership, promoting responsible research conduct and fostering international cooperation. This collaboration is essential for navigating a complex world and ensuring a stable and prosperous future.

After more than two years of a terrible war against Ukraine, this enduring aggression has led to dramatic effects on Ukraine, and the Ukrainian science and research system. Thousands of scientists have left their country, universities and research infrastructures in Ukraine have been seriously damaged. Scientific equipment and instruments have been damaged. The conditions to carry out research in Ukraine have significantly deteriorated.
Conducting science and sustaining a research system under these conditions is a permanent struggle.
Specifically, the situation in Eastern Ukraine, and in Kharkiv, is critical. The National Karazin University in Kharkiv, the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology (KIPT NASU), and the Institute of Single Crystals NASU are among the research institutions that are hit most.
This thematic lunch table will discuss the current picture of the Ukrainian science system, and will try to identify the most urgent needs where support of science, and scientists, in Ukraine is most pressing.
Among the key questions to be addressed by this table:

• Which are lessons learned by previous and ongoing European and American support programmes and activities for Ukrainian science?
• Where should Western support be directed? For instance: Providing and shipping scientific equipment to replace damaged equipment; provide grants to scientists in Ukraine; establish more international collaborative ties and projects with the aim to support the further integration of the Ukrainian system into the international and ERA European Research Area.
• Which are the most relevant mid-term and long-term needs of sustainable Ukrainian research?
• How to mitigate brain-drain from Ukraine, and to rather simulate brain circulation by support measures and programs?
• Education: Which are specific challenges to sustain a high level of education at universities in Ukraine?

Science has made significant strides in understanding fundamental biological processes, yet substantial knowledge gaps persist regarding their implications for health and disease. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the global nature of these challenges and the urgent need for global coordination in combating them. Unfortunately, while opportunities for collaborative activities exist within different geographical regions like North America, Europe or the Far East that are well established, they are very limited across these regions. To overcome these limitations, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and Stanford University have established the Life Science Alliance (www.embl.org/about/info/life-science-alliance/) about a decade ago. The Alliance aims to promote cutting edge joint research activities, training and scientific education across the partner sites, which are supported by external funding partners. This thematic table convenes experts from the partners of the Alliance to explore how transatlantic collaborative endeavors facilitate the development of transformative technologies and therapeutics, thus expediting biomedical research and translating its impact into improving human health.

Today’s major technological, scientific, environmental, and health challenges affect nations around the world yet most Big Science is conducted at the national level. Big science has tremendous potential to solve society’s pressing problems such as mitigating climate change, ageing, migration and mobility and fighting diseases such as cancer or Alzheimer’s. However, often it takes too long for promising solutions to emerge from fragmented research and find their way from lab to market. We will discuss how transatlantic partnerships can accelerate scientific advancement and the commercialization of research and help implement solutions to today’s great challenges. Questions will include what conditions are necessary for cross-border innovation partnerships to form, how can we build more of those partnerships and what are the best practices to learn from in order to increase success rates.
The thematic table will be co-hosted by DESY and Discovery Partners Institute, who have joined forces in 2023 in a partnership for innovation and transfer.

Internationalization is one of the core missions of universities worldwide. The excellence of research is based on interdisciplinarity, diversity, and cross-segmental collaborations, which are fostered and accelerated through internationalization.
In view of recent geopolitical upheavals, international scientific cooperation has undergone rapid changes and faces new challenges. Against this backdrop, research security has become a matter of national security. In June 2023, Germany’s Federal Government adopted a National Security Strategy that offers an "integrated" concept of security as a centerpiece of its scope. The strategy emphasizes the role of science and research and their importance as the basis for Germany's innovative strength and technological sovereignty.
For universities and research institutions, it is, therefore, of central importance to review existing or future international collaborations. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and more specifically its central coordination point for international academic collaboration, KIWi, has played a significant role in promoting exchange and peer learning and establishing guidelines for German universities on how to deal with security risks while fostering internationalization on a structural, institutional, and research level.
The DAAD’s position is that international exchange and academic and research cooperation should be interest-orientated, value-based, and risk-reflective. This requires, among other things, being sensitized to risks and knowing how to minimize them in practice.
De-risking concerns in Germany must be considered in the context of open science, university autonomy, and academic freedom—all of which are highly prized under the country's federal structure and anchored in the German constitution. At the same time, the legality and viability of de-risking measures can be legitimately threatened by a diverse level of protection at the EU level, especially in the Schengen open borders area. De-risking procedures may be more consistent and reliable if the European Research Area (ERA) was subject to proposed rules for a similar degree of protection.
What does this mean for universities and Research Institutions in practice? How can institutions learn from each other on a national, European, and transatlantic level? What impact do different approaches to Security Issues have among European partners and on transatlantic cooperations in HE? How can political ambitions, internationalization missions, and security concerns be prioritized, balanced, and communicated?
This international thematic table aims to bring together German, European and North American perspectives and discuss European and transatlantic approaches, best practices and strategies to learn from each other, define common interests and foster strong attitudes towards reflective recommendations for action.