LEAPS appoints Jean Daillant as chair

As of January 2023, current LEAPS Vice Chair Jean Daillant, Director of SOLEIL in France, will take over the role of LEAPS Chair. The symbolic LEAPS baton was handed over to him by the outgoing Chair Leonid Rivkin from PSI, Switzerland on October 28 during the LEAPS General Assembly, collocated with the LEAPS 5th Plenary Meeting, at PSI in Switzerland.

Leonid Rivkin, reflecting on his year of chairmanship said he was very proud of what LEAPS achieved in 2022 in spite of the many challenges and crisis faced by all our organizations across Europe.

Among the many successes, he mentioned the elaboration of the European Strategy for Accelerator-based Photon Science 2022 (ESAPS22) which was launched at the milestone European Parliament event “LEAPS for the Present and Future Grand Challenges “ in Brussels. The impressive progress and outcomes of the EU project LEAPS-INNOV, in its first year. LEAPS being recognized in the EU landscape as an important voice in the pressing matter of the energy crisis. And finally, the great success that was the LEAPS Plenary meeting, with a record participation of near 200 delegates, where key policy and research topics were debated in an inspiring event held at PSI in October. To host the event and welcome so many members of the LEAPS community at PSI, has been a great pleasure and a memorable moment as LEAPS Chair, concluded Lenny Rivkin.

Looking ahead, Jean Daillant expressed his confidence in the collective efforts of LEAPS as we continue to face challenging times. Without underestimating the tremendous impacts on a global scale, he remains optimistic, envisaging proactive responses to both immediate and long-term needs whilst counting the LEAPS infrastructures as part of the solution to the crises faced. The development of strategic access will allow us to join forces with new communities to develop solutions for the future. The energy and materials crises are forcing our facilities to become more sustainable and to develop solutions that foster lower dependencies, which we will only achieve together through innovation.

The focus for 2023 will remain on producing excellent science, to providing researchers with the opportunities and the best conditions to carry out their work and to training both users and staff to ensure adaptation to the evolving challenging context in Europe. LEAPS is becoming recognized in the EU landscape as an important voice and establishing a legal entity will be a significant step forward in that direction.

Jean Daillant reiterated that he looks forward to our facilities strengthening our collective efforts, contributing positively to the challenges we face, and to working closely with all our European partners as we build an innovative, resilient and ecological European Research Area, one that remains attractive, reliable and of high quality in both its services and its results. 

LEAPS wishes Jean Daillant a successful and fruitful coming year as Chair of the Consortium and its General Assembly and express its gratitude to Leonid Rivkin for all his work and efforts chairing LEAPS in 2022.

This article was first published on 15 December by LEAPS.