Preliminary Program
Throughout the day, various start-ups and initiatives focused on achieving Net Zero will showcase their work at information booths located in the foyer.
(Plenary Session)
Sebastian Gemkow | Saxon State Minister for Science, Culture and Tourism, Germany
Prof. Sebastian M. Schmidt | Scientific Director at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Germany
Dr Igor Papič | Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Slovenia
Mgr. Jana Havlikova | Deputy Minister of Science, Research and Innovation of the Czech Republic
Prof. Maria Mrówczyńska | Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Science of the Republic of Poland
Moderation: Dr Jan-Martin Wiarda | Science Journalist
Exploring Community Impacts, just transitions, and conceptual frontiers for industrial decarbonization
(Plenary Session)
Prof. Benjamin Sovacool | Director of the Institute for Global Sustainability at Boston University, USA
The challenge of achieving net-zero emissions in industry, crucial for sectors such as electronics, machinery, and chemicals, goes beyond its diverse and heterogeneous operations. While technical solutions like carbon capture, hydrogen technologies, and energy-efficient processes are crucial, this presentation delves deeper. It highlights the often-overlooked social and ethical aspects of industrial decarbonization. The talk addresses how shifting away from fossil fuels impacts communities and workers reliant on these industries. It explores the role of government policies, public pressure, and the cultural, economic, and political shifts that accompany this transition. Key concepts like ‘Just Transitions‘ and strategies for accelerating low-carbon transitions will be discussed, offering a comprehensive view of the multifaceted journey towards industrial decarbonization.
Benjamin Sovacool, Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University and Founding Director of the Institute for Global Sustainability, is a renowned expert in energy and environmental policy. Previously holding directorial positions at the Sussex Energy Group and the Center for Energy Technologies, his work encompasses energy policy, climate change mitigation, and adaptation, with a keen focus on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and the socio-political aspects of energy decisions.
Sovacool’s research, which has been recognized by figures like former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom, contributed as a Lead Author to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report. He serves on the Board on Environmental Change and Society for the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. As a highly cited researcher in energy and climate policy controversies, his work has received extensive international media coverage, highlighting his impact on global environmental issues.
(Plenary Session)
In exciting short talks international researchers will present solutions from different areas of net-zero research. Discover different research approaches that underline the central role of science in achieving net-zero emissions.
Prof. Kerstin Eckert | Head Transport processes at interfaces, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany
>>Dynamics of hydrogen and oxygen bubbles during water electrolysis
Prof. Ambrogio Fasoli | Programme Manager (CEO), EUROfusion, Switzerland
>> The quest for fusion energy: the European approach
Assoc. Prof. Srinivas Rangarajan | Associate Professor for Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University, USA
>> Transitioning to net-zero manufacturing of chemicals and energy carriers
Assoc. Prof. Tine Tysmans | Associate Professor for Mechanics of Materials and Constructions, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
>> Less is more: reinventing concrete structures for sustainable construction
Moderation: Dr Jan-Martin Wiarda | Science Journalist
(Parallel Sessions)
Early career scientists are invited to present their research work in the following areas: Microelectronics (Green IT), Sustainable construction, Hydrogen and Fusion.
Microelectronics (Green IT)
- José J. Baldoví | Universitat De Valencia, Spain
>> Strain engineering and chemical design of smart molecular/2D heterostructures for magnonic applications - Peter Boelens | Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany
>> Three dimensional particle characterization and particle-based modelling for the comparison of processing flow sheets for the recyclability assessment of WEEE - Dr Attila Cangi | Center for Advanced Systems Understanding, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany
>>Materials Modeling with Scalable Machine Learning - Jose Hugo Garcia Aguilar | Fundacio Institut Catala De Nanociencia I Nanotecnologia, Spain
>> Artificial Intelligence for Next-generation Material Design - Dr Tobias Meng | Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat, Dresden University of Technology, Germany
>> Quantum Design of quantum functionalities
Dr Peter Steinbach | Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Moderation)
Sustainable Construction
- Dr Alexey Alekseenko | UNU-FLORES, Germany
>> Making Lusatia a Resource Nexus Research Center - Prof. Birgit Beckmann | Dresden University of Technology, Germany
- Dr Anna Sandak | InnoRenew CoE, Slovenia
>> Constructing a New Future with Engineered Living Materials - Dr Giovanni Stabile | Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Italy
>> Model reduction for Large-scale Modelling of Urban Air Pollution
Dr Veronika Körösi | Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Moderation)
Hydrogen
- Dr Michelle Browne | Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Germany
>> Bridging the Gap between Academic and Industrial Experimental Protocols for Green Hydrogen Production - Dr Šárka Cabadová Waisová | Czech Hydrogen Technological Platform, Czech Republic
>> Clean hydrogen economy. How realistic is this scenario for the Czech Republic - Ing. Jafar Fathi | Institute of Plasma Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic
>> Plasma pyrolysis technology for decarbonization and energy - Dr Tino Gottschall | Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany
>>Magnetic cooling for the efficient liquefaction of hydrogen - Dr Ali Javed | Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
>> Remote Monitoring of an Operating PEM Electrolyzer - Mateusz Łuba | Institute of Electrical Engineering in Warsaw, Polen
Dr Matthias Streller | Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Moderation)
Fusion
- Prof. Dominik Kraus | University of Rostock, Germany
>> Rapid progress in laser fusion: What does it need for a power plant? - Dr Boštjan Končar | Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI), Slovenia
>> Contribution of small experimental facilities to the advances in fusion technology - Dr Silvia Masillo | École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
>> The Role of TCV in Advancing Fusion Research - Dr Toma Toncian | Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Germany
>> Opportunities for fusion research at HED-HIBEF instrument at EuXFEL
Dr Jan-Martin Wiarda | Science Journalist (Moderation)
(Plenary Session)
Jo De Boeck | Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) and EVP at imec, Belgium
Dr. Rutger Wijburg | Chief Operations Officer at Infineon Technologies, Germany
Michael Kretschmer | Minister-President of the Free State of Saxony, Germany
(Parallel Sessions)
Visionary thinkers and start-up founders present their innovative ideas aimed at achieving a net-zero future.
Artificial Intelligence
- Dr Sascha Creutzburg | SAXONY.ai & Helm & Walter IT-Solutions GbR
and Rico Löser | Fraunhofer Institute IWU, Germany
>> AI-based digital twin of a PEM fuel cell system for mobile applications - Patrick Kabasci | Innovation Center GmbH (INC), Germany
>> Towards an Intelligent and Sustainable Future: AI against waste - Dr Ivan Kraljevski | Project Group Cognitive Material Diagnostics (KogMatD), Fraunhofer IKTS, Germany
>> Transforming Material Diagnostics with AI-Driven Data Analysis - Dr Christian Zinke-Wehlmann |Institut für Angewandte Informatik (InfAI) e.V.
>> The potential of generative AI for a sustainable future - Prof. Blaž Zupan | Faculty of Computer and Information Science, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
>> Should everyone know something about AI?
Dr Peter Steinbach | Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Moderation)
Sustainable Construction
- Patrik Majringer | NORICUM, s.r.o, Czech Republic
>> The quality of living starts with materials… or… Hemp – a solution to reduce carbon. - Iwona Masłowska Lipowicz | Łukasiewicz – Łódzki Instytut Technologiczny, Poland
>> Mycelium building material - Dr Michael Kraft | TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany
>> ZauBer – Materials of the future from old mines
Yvonne Matthes | Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Moderation)
Hydrogen
- Dr. Aleš Bulc | Wood E&IS (Renewables) GmbH, Slovenia
>> Making decarbonisation real: How to reduce the funding gap for green hydrogen. - Prof. Jakub Kupecki | Institute of Power Engineering – National Research Institute, Center for Hydrogen Technologies, Poland
>> Solid oxide electrolyzers for highly efficient production of hydrogen and synthetic fuels – game changer for decarbonizing industries - Martin Zágora | Smart Energies Group company, Czech Republic
>> Flexible zone for Hydrogen production and grid balancing. - Dušan Poliaček & Michal Maly | 1to1design, Czech Republic
>> The Hydrocycle project - Krzysztof Szostak | Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Microelectronics and Photonics, Poland
>> Single-layer fuel cells operating in low temperatures for stationary power generation
Philipp von Haymerle | Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Moderation)
Fusion
- Prof. Victor Malka | Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
>> ELI NP status and challenges - Rok Šabjan | COSYLAB, Slovenia
>> Towards the industrialisation of fusion control system - Hannes Vogel | Proxima Fusion, Germany
>> Proxima Fusion: Bringing Fusion down to Earth - Dr Marc Zimmer | Focused Energy, Germany
>> Focused Energy: Laser-based nuclear fusion and it’s benefits for Germany
Dorit Teichmann | Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Moderation)
(Plenary Session)
How can politics more effectively support research? What obstacles must scientists navigate in the face of pressing global issues like climate change? How can scientific breakthroughs accelerate the development of new technologies and products? A distinguished panel, including Michael Kretschmer, the Minister-President of Saxony, will explore these questions in a dialogue with researchers.
Michael Kretschmer | Minister-President of the Free State of Saxony, Germany
Mgr. Jana Havlikova | Deputy Minister for Science, Research and Innovation of the Czech Republic
Prof. Maria Mrówczyńska | Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Science of the Republic of Poland
Dr Šárka Cabadová Waisová | Czech Hydrogen Technological Platform, Czech Republic
Dr Attila Cangi | Center for Advanced Systems Understanding, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Germany
Mateusz Łuba | Institute of Electrical Engineering in Warsaw, Poland
Rok Šabjan | COSYLAB, Slovenia
Moderation: Dr Jan-Martin Wiarda | Science Journalist
The Free State of Saxony will award the internationally announced Archimedes Science Award for the first time in 2025. Archimedes formulated the law of the lever in his work „On the Equilibrium of Plane Figures.“ He recognized that using a fixed lever allows heavy objects to be moved with less effort. In this sense, the name of the prize emphasizes the unique leverage effect that outstanding science can have in addressing the major global challenges of our time. Scientific achievements with such leverage effect are to be honored.
The Archimedes Science Award is endowed with €50,000 and is awarded annually by a high-caliber jury composed of the Presidents and Vice Presidents of the four major research organizations in Germany (Helmholtz Association, Max Planck Society, Fraunhofer Society, Leibniz Association), the President of the German Rector’s Conference, and the Chair as well as the Vice Chair of the executive board of the DRESDEN-concept Alliance. Each year, the prize is advertised with a focus on the respective theme of the Science Conference „Building Bridges“ in Dresden.
Prof. Ursula M. Staudinger | Rector of Dresden University of Technology, Germany
(Plenary Session)
Michael Kretschmer | Minister-President of the Free State of Saxony, Germany
Prof. Sebastian M. Schmidt | Scientific Director at Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Germany
This measure is co-financed by