Under the support and sponsors of Palestinian German Science Bridge PGSB, Forschungszentrum Jülich FZJ in coordination with Palestine Academy for Science and Technology PalAST, and cooperation with The Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME), are holding a meeting for scientific users in SESAME premises (Jordan), on the 11th and 12th of October, 2023.

This highly anticipated meeting aims to foster knowledge sharing and academic collaboration among esteemed participants from various Palestinian universities and FZJ scientists. A total of 30 participants have been carefully selected, representing diverse backgrounds and expertise in science and technology.

The main goal of the meeting is for scientists from Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, and Palestinian partner universities of the PGSB and SESAME to meet and exchange knowledge and ideas. Especially considering the location of SESAME, the meeting should showcase research happening in the Middle East, including at Palestinian universities. Looking forward, contacts made during this event should help to support future measurement times, research projects, or other collaborative ideas; at the end of the meeting, SESAME, FZJ, and Palestinian scientists will wrapping-up discussion regarding collaboration ideas for scientific and technical cooperation in synchrotron synchrotron-based methods.

The Palestinian-German Science Bridge (PGSB) is a vector to build capacity for Palestine Research and Innovation. The PGSB is a pilot project financed by Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, and implemented jointly by Forschungszentrum Jülich FZJ and Palestine Academy for Science and Technology PALAST to develop a joint research and education program. It provides the most brilliant science and technology graduates from Palestinian universities with access to state-of-the-art equipment for the experimental part of their Master's thesis and the possibility to follow up with a PhD thesis project in Jülich.

The long-term vision of the PGSB is to use the high level of science and technology in Europe to help establish infrastructure enabling research and innovation at Palestinian universities and institutions, also in connection to regional research centers like SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East), and to let PGSB fellows, their Palestinian cooperation partners, and SESAME beamline scientists to explain to each other the chances and the ways of potential cooperation.

Especially SESAME is an experimental facility not far from Palestine, with Palestine as a member. For some of the scientific areas, we see a significant chance for Palestinian scientists, especially those who graduate from our Palestinian German Science Bridge- PGSB to start their research capacity; this can be a step towards the realization of scientific research infrastructure in the Palestinian areas and building Capacity for Palestine Research and Innovation.

This meeting will be the cornerstone for strengthening cooperation programs between SESAME and PGSB and a follow-up of cooperation between the two countries in science, technology, and research to build specialized laboratories and research centers in Palestine, in addition to training and education of scientists.