At the SOLARIS National Synchrotron Radiation Centre, advanced experiments were carried out on the ASTRA beamline to investigate the mechanisms governing the formation and modification of copper nanoparticles and their oxides under real synthesis conditions. The study was conducted by an interdisciplinary research team comprising Żaneta Świątkowska Warkocka, Mohammad Sadegh Shakeri and Juliusz Chojenka (Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences), Roman Ostrowski (Military University of Technology), Marcin Brzyski (NSRC SOLARIS, Jagiellonian University), and Tomasz Chrobak and Mikołaj Wyderka (AGH University of Science and Technology). The primary objective of the research was to gain direct insight into the dynamic chemical transformations occurring during pulsed laser irradiation of nanoparticle suspensions in liquids, using operando X ray absorption spectroscopy.

On 18 June 2026, the National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS hosted another meeting in the series of LifeScience Cluster Kraków Breakfasts, dedicated to advanced research methodologies applied in structural biology and medicine.

Dr hab. Jakub Szlachetko, Prof. JU Director of the National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS, and a physicist conducting research at the interface of physics, chemistry and materials science, has been awarded a prestigious grant from the National Science Centre under the OPUS 30 call for proposals. The funding will support the project entitled “Self-Referencing X-ray System as a Game Changer for Real-Time Molecular Dynamics Investigations”. The total funding awarded amounts to PLN 2,941,420.

Over the past few weeks, we have been celebrating the 10th anniversary of SOLARIS. We revisited the history of Poland’s first synchrotron, highlighted the Centre’s most important achievements, and introduced the people who have built its position over the years. We symbolically conclude the celebrations of the first decade of operation with a conversation with the Centre’s Director. Dr hab. Jakub Szlachetko, Prof. UJ, reflects on the role SOLARIS plays today in Poland and Europe, and on the direction it is heading in the years to come.

On 22 May 2026, the SOLARIS National Synchrotron Radiation Centre of the Jagiellonian University celebrated the 10th anniversary of its activity. The jubilee gala, held at the historic Stara Zajezdnia venue in Kraków, gathered 230 guests representing the scientific community, European research infrastructures, public administration, regional authorities and the business sector. The anniversary was not only an opportunity to reflect on the first decade of operation of the only synchrotron in Central and Eastern Europe, but also a moment to consider the role of modern research infrastructures in the development of science, technology and international collaboration.