Centres for research

DESY site 2020

The DESY site in Hamburg with current and planned (in blue) buildings, centres and facilities in August 2020 (Copyright: © DESY / Reimo Schaaf, Diana von Ilsemann).

Research activities at DESY Photon Science are also carried out at several centres on-site, together with its partner institutions. All these centres continue to develop dynamically:

  • CFEL Center for Free-Electron Laser Science  
  • CSSB Centre for Structural Systems Biology
  • CXNS Centre for X-ray and Nano Science 

Further new centres in collaboration with partner institutions of DESY are currently being planned or in preparation:

  • CMWS Centre for Molecular Water Science​​​
  • CDCS Center for Data and Computing Science
  • CIMMS Center for Integrated Multiscale Materials Systems

or already represent and bundle activities 

  • WPC Wolfgang Pauli Centre for Theoretical Physics

for instance within PIER (Partnership for Innovation, Education and Research of the Universität Hamburg and DESY) or KAI (Cooperation for Application and Innovation of the HAW Hamburg and DESY) and organise activities or graduate schools together: DASHH (Helmholtz graduate school for Data Science in Hamburg) and PIER Helmholtz graduate School (DESY overview on collaborations and institutes). 

Additional external centres and institutes are located on the campus: CHyN (Center for Hybrid Nanostructures / Universität  Hamburg), Harbor (Hamburg Advanved Research Centre for Bioorganic Chemistry / Universität  Hamburg), as well as the MPSD (Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter / Max Planck Society), EMBL Hamburg and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon Outstation, as well as the Ruprecht Haensel Laboratory (RHL / CAU Kiel and DESY).

Moreover, the Innovation Centre 'Start-up Labs Bahrenfeld' on the research campus in Hamburg Bahrenfeld is a joint project of DESY, University of Hamburg and the City of Hamburg. This building offers space for start-ups and established companies.

Furthermore the platform 'Helmholtz Imaging' brings scientists and engineers in the Helmholtz Association (HGF) together to develop imaging science. DESY is one of the partners.

The future vision is to build a science district around DESY and the Universität Hamburg in Hamburg Bahrenfeld until 2040 and beyond. In this planned new Science City Bahrenfeld, science, innovation, business and housing are to be closely interlinked in the development of the urban area, which includes new scientific institutes and facilities. 

PIER PLUS, led by the Universität Hamburg, strengthens collaborations and networking between universities and research institutes in the metropolitan area of Hamburg. DESY is one of the partners. PIER is represented as PIER Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld (PIER SCHB) within this network.