The activities of the National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS have become the focus of a special issue of Acta Physica Polonica A. The publication showcases the latest scientific achievements enabled by synchrotron infrastructure and state-of-the-art cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) facilities, highlighting SOLARIS as one of the leading research centres in Central and Eastern Europe.

On 22–23 July, the SOLARIS National Synchrotron Radiation Centre in Kraków hosted an international workshop dedicated to shaping the future of Ukraine’s research and innovation system beyond 2035. The event was organised within the framework of the LUKE project and brought together representatives of research funding organisations, science policy institutions, and the broader research and innovation community from across Europe.

A research team led by Dr Hab. Eng. Sebastian Molin from the Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics at Gdańsk University of Technology, comprising MSc Eng. Bartłomiej Lemieszek and MSc Muhammad Tasaduq Ilyas, has reached an important milestone in the development of high-temperature in situ investigations conducted at the ASTRA beamline. The studies focused on materials intended for oxygen electrodes used in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). The experiments were carried out under the supervision of the scientists responsible for the operation of the ASTRA beamline and employed a measurement cell fabricated from alumina using advanced 3D-printing technology.

A research team led by Prof. Przemysław J. Jodłowski (PhD, DSc, Eng.) from the Cracow University of Technology conducted interdisciplinary studies at the SOLARIS Centre on the use of porous hybrid materials known as metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) in detoxification processes. The application of synchrotron radiation enables an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms governing interactions between these materials and psychoactive substances, opening up new avenues for the design of innovative therapeutic approaches.

We are proud to announce that dr Adriana Wawrzyniak, Deputy Director for Accelerators at the SOLARIS National Synchrotron Radiation Centre, has been elected Chair-Elect (Vice-Chair and future Chair) of the Accelerator Group of the European Physical Society (EPS-AG). This body is one of the most important organisations representing the European scientific and technical community involved in particle accelerators and large-scale research infrastructures.