Events Elettra Highlights 2024–2025 183 On 2 July 2025, Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste marked a key milestone with the shutdown of the Elettra storage ring, after more than thirty years of continuous operation. At 12:30, all staff members gathered in the experimental hall to witness the moment live, projected on four screens, as the beam was switched off (5). Everyone wore the same Elettra 2.0 T-shirt, symbolizing unity and continuity between past and future. The event culminated in a collective photo in the research centre’s courtyard, taken with a drone flying over the facility (6)—a moment of strong shared participation that captured the transition toward a new chapter in the laboratory’s history. A short video retraced the evolution of the machine and the work of the teams that have sustained it over three decades. The occasion was not only a commemoration of past achievements but also the beginning of a new phase: the installation of Elettra 2.0, a nextgeneration synchrotron designed to provide brighter light, higher coherence, and greater energy efficiency. A few days later, on 8 July 2025, the official launch of Elettra 2.0 was held in the presence of regional authorities, representatives of the scientific community, and the press (7). The day opened with a guided visit to the construction site led by Alfonso Franciosi, President and CEO, together with Emanuel Karantzoulis, Project Director, Deborah Baron, Site Manager, and Roberto Visintini, Head of Removal and Installation Activities. Among the guests were Alessia Rosolen, Regional Councillor for Research and Universities; Caterina Petrillo, President of AREA Science Park; and Ketty Segatti, Director of the Central Unit for Research and Innovation of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region. The delegation later joined additional participants, including Serena Tonel, Deputy Mayor of Trieste, and Massimo Tognolli, Councillor for Social Policies, for a presentation in the new FERMI exhibition area. The event featured the screening of the video documenting the July 2 shutdown and the first public display of the 3D model of the new storage ring and future beamline layout, illustrating the technological and scientific innovations at the core of the project. During this institutional session, Alessia Rosolen underlined the strategic value of large-scale research infrastructures, Caterina Petrillo highlighted Elettra’s central role in Trieste’s scientific ecosystem, and Serena Tonel reaffirmed its international standing. Scientific partners Federico Boscherini (CNRIOM) and Cinzia Giannini (CNR Institute of Crystallography) confirmed their intention to strengthen collaboration within the framework of Elettra 2.0. The event concluded with a press conference offering insights into the project’s objectives and its role in shaping the future of synchrotron research. 7 5 8 6 Discover more
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