UPJŠ formalized cooperation with European XFEL and became part of the family of prestigious Universities

Rector of UPJŠ Prof. MUDr. Daniel Pella, PhD. and Dean of the Faculty of Science of UPJŠ Assoc. Prof. RNDr. Roman Soták, PhD. signed a framework agreement on cooperation with The European X-ray Free-Electron Laser Facility (XFEL) in Hamburg on Thursday, August 28, 2025. The agreement was signed on behalf of the European XFEL by the Chairman of the Board Prof. Dr. Thomas Feurer and the Scientific Director Prof. Dr. Serguei Molodtsov. This significant step not only expanded the university’s international contacts, but also opened the door for many research groups at UPJŠ to carry out cutting-edge scientific research.

The European XFEL is a European project of a 3.4 km long X-ray laser built in Hamburg, which is a source of X-ray radiation of exceptional quality exceeding all current world photon sources, to such an extent that we can talk about creating a completely new way of understanding the structure of living and non-living matter at the atomic level. It enables groundbreaking research in a wide range of scientific fields, e.g. in biology, medicine, physics and chemistry. The facility was built in the form of a non-profit limited liability company under German law (GmbH) with the participation of shareholders from 11 countries. Slovakia owns 1.16% of the shares.

The framework agreement has placed UPJŠ among the elite European universities with which European XFEL cooperates and plans to develop cooperation in the form of doctoral studies and exchange stays for scientists thanks to joint scientific projects. The concluded agreement is also the result of the activities of the National Contact Point for XFEL established this year at the Faculty of Science of UPJŠ. The conclusion of further amendments to the agreement will provide space for supporting student mobility, within which they could become familiar with the research opportunities in the laboratories of this unique scientific infrastructure.

Source: https://www.upjs.sk/aktuality/upjs-sformalizovala-spolupracu-s-european-xfel/