World-class leadership of the Extreme Light Infrastructure Consortium visits the Ministry
On 21 March, the leadership of the Extreme Light Infrastructure European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ELI ERIC) visited the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport. The leaders of the organisation and the representatives of the Ministry discussed further cooperation, opportunities to plan more scientific activities together and attract more Lithuanian researchers to ELI activities.
“We believe that Lithuania can become more involved in ELI activities and even become one of the leaders, not only within our infrastructure, but also in a global or European context. ELI is already a recognised European research infrastructure, but we have a relatively small number of member states. This means that Lithuania has an excellent opportunity to influence the activities of the organisation,” said Allen Weeks, the Director General of ELI ERIC.
He said that Lithuania is already a leader in the laser sector, outperforming even larger European countries. Lithuania has been actively involved in the development of ELI’s infrastructure, with research carried out in Vilnius contributing significantly to the emergence of the strongest lasers the organisation has.
ELI is a research infrastructure with ultrafast high-power lasers. The main mission of the organisation is to provide access to state-of-the-art lasers for researchers and business by exploiting the unique capabilities of extremely intense light. The organisation conducts experiments on extreme light-matter interactions and develops new laser technologies.
Lithuania is a founding member of the ELI organisation since 2020. According to Mr. Weeks, ELI ERIC is ready to help Lithuania develop a national strategy on how the country can fully exploit the opportunities offered by membership.
“Lithuania’s laser sector is highly capable and science-intensive, but the potential of the sector and the synergies between the community can be further strengthened by a more active involvement in international activities,” said Gintautas Jakštas, Vice-Minister of Education, Science and Sport.
During the meeting, the representatives of the Ministry and ELI ERIC discussed how the organisation could attract more Lithuanian scientists and businesses and encourage them to use ELI’s state-of-the-art laboratories and other infrastructure. The organisation aims to train young Lithuanian researchers, who will subsequently come back to work in their homeland, and organises summer camps for undergraduates wishing to gain significant experience in the laser sector.
The ELI ERIC General Assembly met in Vilnius on 21–22 March.
Last updated: 24-03-2023
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