Between March 27 and 28, our consortium gathered at CERN’s Campus Meyrin in Geneva for our second progress meeting. This venue, renowned as the birthplace of European scientific cooperation, provided a truly special and inspiring backdrop for our discussions on sustainable and efficient design and operation of large research facilities.
Our team members from CERN’s Electrical Engineering group that hosted the meeting, ensured that invited colleagues could not only discuss their ongoing work but also learn about other CERN projects on-site. Furthermore, everyone had the opportunity to dive into the organization´s history through guided tours at the end of each meeting day.
This time, not only the project partners but also two experts from the Industrial Advisory Board joined us: Kathrin Goldammer, Managing Director of the Reiner Lemoine Institute in Berlin, and Stefan Rogat, Director of Network Operation and Regulation at Netze BW.
On the first day, after the management and technical overview given by the coordinator, all work package leaders presented the progress and current status of their tasks. Currently, three technical work packages are ongoing, and the responsible leaders coordinated inputs for the upcoming M18 deliverables. With Work Package 1 already completed, the first reporting and review meeting is on the horizon. KIT introduced the partners to their duties, and a timeline for the preparation of the reporting was agreed upon, considering the summer months and a possible review meeting date at the beginning of autumn.
After several hours of intensive discussions, the official agenda ended with a tour to the CERN Computer Centre, the heart of CERN’s data processing and storage infrastructure. It was fascinating to see where data from the LHC and other experiments is collected, stored, and distributed to scientists around the world — a true powerhouse of scientific computing. Since our project also involves the development of digital twins of data centers, this visit was a great opportunity to better understand real-world operational challenges and explore potential solutions for more efficient, sustainable data center management.
On the second day, during the morning two dedicated exploitation sessions focused on the characterization of partners’ exploitable results. After an introduction by the RF2.0 Project and Innovation Manager, all partners presented their exploitable results to the consortium. Our experts provided valuable input and feedback to fine-tune their characterization tables, marking the next step towards the RF2.0 exploitation plan.
In the afternoon, partners hat the chance to visit the Synchrocyclotron, CERN’s very first accelerator built in 1957. This historic machine, which provided beams for CERN’s initial experiments in particle and nuclear physics, was decommissioned in 1990 and now serves as an exhibition area for visitors. The Synchrocyclotron played a crucial role in early discoveries and helped establish CERN’s reputation in the scientific community. Additionally, all partners and participants visited the large power station, which features various converters and transformers, as well as an electric substation where Ultrafast Phasor Measuring Units (PMUs), developed by our industrial partner Zaphiro, are in operation. Our colleague Giuseppe Cappai provided explanations about the installation of PMUs at LHC points, along with the relays and high-voltage protection systems.
During the two-day meeting, students, postdocs, senior researchers and experts had the opportunity to discuss their topics and get to know each other better, both during and after the technical sessions. We even found time to enjoy a typical Swiss fondue at one of Geneva’s most authentic places, “La Buvette des Bains,” a charming lakeside eatery
All partners are eagerly looking forward to meeting again in person in September. Plans are already underway with the colleagues form Helmholtz Centre Berlin.
