1. Socio-economic impact of research infrastructures: European XFEL
ICRI, 4 October 2016
Claudia Burger

2. European XFEL - a leading new research facility
The European XFEL (X-Ray Free- Electron Laser) is a new research facility in Northern Germany.
From 2017 on, it will provide scientists and industrial researchers
with an outstanding new tool to investigate the structure of matter
as well as important problems in medical research, new and sustainable energy sources, and the development of materials for new technologies and a better environment.
Claudia Burger European XFEL GmbH 4 October 2016

3. European XFEL - a leading new research facility
Established as a non-profit corporation in 2009 on the basis of an intergovernmental Convention
Supported by 11 partner countries
Germany covers 58% of the costs; Russia contributes 27%; each of the other international shareholders 1–3%
Total budget for construction (including commissioning)
1.22 billion € at 2005 prices
670 M€ contributed in cash, over 550 M€ IKC
300 staff members (+240 FTE at DESY)
Claudia Burger European XFEL GmbH 4 October 2016

4. Visible progress in construction and installation of equipment
Claudia Burger European XFEL GmbH 4 October 2016

5. Opportunities: biology, medicine, pharmacology
Molecular movies reveal biochemical processes
Causes of protein misfolding  treatments for Alzheimer’s, BSE, etc.
Understanding enzymatic action in greater detail  better medicines, fewer side effects
Viewing mechanisms of infection
High intensity X-rays show structures in greater detail
Searching for weaknesses in viral and bacterial outer coats
Claudia Burger European XFEL GmbH 4 October 2016

6. Opportunities: chemistry and materials science
Atomic-level imaging can uncover action of catalysts
Better catalytic converters lessen impact of emissions
Less toxic production processes
Studying structure and properties of materials as never before
How properties (e.g. durability, conductivity, magnetism) manifest
Reducing atoms needed to store digital information  ultrahigh-capacity hard drives
Claudia Burger European XFEL GmbH 4 October 2016

7. Opportunities: many other areas
Photonics
Photosensitive materials for computers, lasers, transistors
Nanotechnology
Structure and behaviour of nanomaterials
Environmental research
Energy sources based on photosynthesis
Studying structure and activity of pollutants
Energy research
Better energy transfer  more efficient solar cells
Claudia Burger European XFEL GmbH 4 October 2016

8. Socio-economic impact: Questions faced
Internal vs. external evaluation
Local level
Regional
International
Global
Ex ante vs ex post
Construction vs operation phase
One-off evaluation vs. continous monitoring
Compete for public funds
Strategic decision-making
Identify common indicators
Problems: Causality, time lag, opportunity costs
Claudia Burger European XFEL GmbH 4 October 2016

9. Socio-economic impact during the construction phase
Direct benefits
Employment (internal and at cooperation partners)
Revenues for suppliers and cooperating institutes
Indirect benefits
Innovation through procurement and in-kind contributions (success stories!)
Staff turnover (technology transfer through human capital)
International cooperation!
Internal project to identify induced innovation
during the construction phase
Effect on income
Kind of knowledge transfer
Claudia Burger European XFEL GmbH 4 October 2016

10. Socio-economic impact during the operation phase
Expectation: Main socio-economic impact of the European XFEL will result from the scientific output of the facility (new knowledge) that intentionally “spills over” to the economy/society (utilization of new knowledge  new technologies, new goods)
Possible indicators for direct and indirect benefits (some initial ideas):
Employment and staff turnover (technology transfer through human capital)
Suppliers: revenues and induced innovation through procurement
New applications of patents, license and correlated income at the industry
Spin-offs
Citations in industrial and technology publications
Dissemination via social media and website visits …
Claudia Burger European XFEL GmbH 4 October 2016

11. Socio-economic impact via EIROforum members: some examples
CERN
Where the World Wide Web was born
ILL
1/3 of public scientific proposals for experiments were directly or strongly linked to industrial / commercial application (2015 study)
ESRF
~ 40% of academic users state that the research they carry out at ESRF has applications in industrial R&D
Proprietary research in structural biology and X-ray imaging dominate beam time sales
EMBL
Scientists solved the atomic structure of the fundamental enzyme for influenza virus replication, resulting in new opportunities for anti-influenza drug design
Claudia Burger European XFEL GmbH 4 October 2016

12. Conclusions
We strongly support the approach to make the socio- economic impact of research infrastructures visible.
We observe long-term impacts and complex causal links.
It‘s tempting to concentrate on the „easy-to-measure“ indicators but they might not be the most relevant.
It‘s necessary and challenging to find meaningful indicators, based on a common concept and a common understanding on the limits of the applied methodology.
There will be no one-fits-all standard model due to the heterogeneity of research infrastructures.
Claudia Burger European XFEL GmbH 4 October 2016