The scientific community in the United States is currently facing a challenging situation, a trend that we are watching closely and with concern. In recent weeks, researchers and institutions have engaged in extensive discussions about how best to respond. Against this backdrop, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Alliance of Science Organizations have collaborated closely and issued a joint statement. In his “Point of View,” Josef Penninger, Scientific Director of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, highlights the value of intelligent, forward-thinking science diplomacy

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The global network of telecommunications cables lying on the ocean floor offers unique potential for scientific use if the fibre-optic cables themselves are used as sensors or equipped with sensors. With SAFAtor (SMART Cables And Fiber-optic Sensing Amphibious Demonstrator), the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel are now building a research infrastructure that can be used to monitor the world's oceans. The Helmholtz Association is investing 30 million euros in the new research infrastructure.

Over the next five years, the project partners plan to equip an undersea telecommunications cable with sensors that will continuously provide real-time data on temperature, pressure and bottom movement. It has not yet been decided where the cable will be laid. Possible regions around the world are being explored, including the Mediterranean, the Arctic and off New Zealand. The system can then serve as a model for future projects and support international initiatives to establish this measurement system on other cables with practical and scientific experience.

GEOMAR has many years of experience in global deep-sea research and marine natural hazards. With its expertise in the development of underwater technologies, it will play a leading role in integrating the necessary SMART sensor technology into deep-sea cables.

GFZ scientists will be primarily responsible for the development of coastal observatories, but will also be involved in the selection and equipping of a demonstrator cable with SMART sensors. In addition, GFZ will provide the infrastructure to process, archive and make available the newly acquired data according to the FAIR principles. FAIR stands for findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable.

Press release GFZ

Press release GEOMAR

Touchless tech: Control fabrics with a wave of your finger
A team of researchers from Nottingham Trent University (UK), Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (Italy) has created washable and durable magnetic field sensing electronic textiles – thought to be the first of their kind – which they say paves the way to transform use in clothing, as they report in the journal Communications Engineering. This technology will allow users to interact with everyday textiles or specialized clothing by simply pointing their finger above a sensor.

Photo:DZNE/Frommann

Hans-Ulrich Fried holds a doctorate in neuroscience and has been Head of the Light Microscope Facility at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Bonn since 2010. Together with his team, he is responsible for 35 state-of-the-art light microscopes, some of which he developed himself.

For me, light microscopy is a fascinating field that has made rapid advances over the last few decades and is still on the move. It’s very exciting to see how new ideas and principles in light microscopy emerge and how their implementation leads to innovative microscopes and microscopy techniques that ultimately make groundbreaking research results possible. It’s a great privilege to be able to supervise and develop a variety of different microscopes for research and to optimize their use. The opportunity to refine and further develop microscopes as part of a team is particularly exciting. Overall, my job is so varied: from basic research and translational research, to advanced technologies and basic physics.

Then I would like to try out whether a modern light microscope facility can also be used profitably as a “vehicle fleet” for research; after all, light microscope setups can be very expensive. If a research project requires a comparatively rare microscopy technique, researchers usually travel to a laboratory where this technology is well established. Sometimes, however, it’s not so easy to transfer the research object – or the workflow – to another institute that offers the desired light microscopy method. Or there aren’t sufficient financial resources to establish the technology at their own institute. An interesting solution could be to install highly advanced microscopes in a truck or container and then transport the truck to the research object. This is occasionally done by microscope companies, but usually for product demonstrations to help make sales, not for research projects. With such a research fleet, fantastic new discoveries could certainly be made!

There are many interesting people to talk to, but if the sky were the limit, I would love to dine with people from a time before the development of writing. With that kind of company, almost any topic of conversation would be incredibly exciting.

Excellent research thrives on international exchange, global collaboration and the free flow of ideas. Without the expertise and commitment of highly qualified specialists from all over the world, cutting-edge research and scientific innovation in Germany would be inconceivable. At the HZI alone, scientists from more than 60 nations work together. This is a reflection of our global network and our clear commitment to international cooperation.

The openness that fosters science and research worldwide is now facing increasingly complex conditions in various regions. Even in the US, traditionally a key partner in many areas of research, there are developments underway that could potentially affect scientific freedom. Sensitive research areas such as climate and the Earth system, gender, and infectious diseases and vaccines appear to be particularly affected. Even renowned institutions like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – with an annual budget of US$48 billion, the world’s largest health research institution – aren’t entirely unaffected by these dynamics.

The US is and remains a pre-eminent scientific nation, with renowned institutions such as the NIH, CDC and many top universities. It plays a central role in overcoming epidemics, developing new therapies and providing international health care. The close scientific ties between Germany and the US will be essential to effectively managing future health crises and developing sustainable solutions to global challenges.

The first positive signs: Germany is increasingly perceived as an attractive research location internationally, especially in the US, but also in Canada. For example, the number of applications from the US for the most recent calls for research groups at the HZI was twice that compared to last year. In order to offer these highly qualified scientists long-term prospects in Germany while also strengthening the Helmholtz Association in the long term, we will create new group leader positions with additional funding.

However, if we are to be even more successful, well need to make targeted improvements – especially with regard to our structural conditions and so-called “soft value.” It’s up to us to attract even more excellent minds to Germany by offering attractive structures and an innovative working environment. In other words, if we had been more successful in recent years in consistently improving the conditions for scientific careers, Germany would now be able to develop its international attractiveness much more independently. Instead of recruiting more specialists from the United States, we’re focusing on creating a place that stands for academic freedom, reliable conditions and vibrant international cooperation. Our goal remains to deepen transatlantic scientific relations and to tackle global challenges together, from the climate crisis to new pandemics. Science is, by definition, international. And we all have a responsibility to defend the values of openness, academic freedom and integrity.

What we need now is not nationalistic competition, but smart, long-term science diplomacy. Foresight, not competition, is called for.

For decades, research was limited to the indirect measurement of quantum states. But today these quantum states can be coherently observed and manipulated without being destroyed – e.g. using quantum computers, which will someday be able to complete tasks that conventional computers can’t. Ioan Pop, a quantum physicist and professor at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), explains how quantum computers work and the hurdles that need to be overcome in their design and operation.

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Published by: Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, Anna-Louisa-Karsch-Str.2, 10178 Berlin

Editors: Sebastian Grote, Franziska Roeder, Martin Trinkaus
Questions to the editors should be sent to monthly@helmholtz.de

Photo credit: Phil Dera (Editorial)

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