IKP to Become Part of GSI at the End of 2020
Jülich, 30 November 2018 – At the end of 2020, the Nuclear Physics Institute (IKP) will be transferred from the organizational structure of Forschungszentrum Jülich to that of GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, which is headquartered in Darmstadt. This decision was finalized by the supervisory boards of Forschungszentrum Jülich and GSI. Employee representatives from IKP and the works councils of both centres were involved in the decision-making process.
The motivation behind the decision is to retain IKP’s scientific expertise in the field of nuclear and particle physics within the Helmholtz Association for Germany as a key location of research. As part of the “Forschungszentrum Jülich 2025” Strategy Process and the ensuing resolution to focus on information and energy as priority topics and on bioeconomy as an emerging field, Jülich’s Board of Directors and Supervisory Board decided that the topics investigated at IKP would no longer be pursued. Subsequently, Jülich’s Board of Directors conducted intense discussions with GSI, which led to the agreement to transfer IKP to GSI. GSI and IKP already collaborate closely – for example, in constructing the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) in Darmstadt.
The transfer is scheduled to be completed by 1 January 2021, when the fourth period of the Helmholtz Association's programme-oriented funding begins. The institute division IKP-1 (Experimental Hadron Structure), IKP-2 (Experimental Hadron Dynamics), IKP-4 (Large-Scale Nuclear Physics Equipment), and IKP-TA (Technical Services and Administration) will be fully incorporated into GSI's organizational structure. The former IKP-3 has already been incorporated into IAS-4 (Theory of the Strong Interactions) and will therefore remain part of Forschungszentrum Jülich. GSI will operate a branch at Forschungszentrum Jülich utilizing existing infrastructure here. The long-term plan is to make it possible for employees to transfer from Jülich to Darmstadt. The funds needed to operate those areas of IKP being transferred will be reassigned from Forschungszentrum Jülich to GSI. As compensation, Jülich will receive equivalent financial resources for the continued expansion of the research field of information.
Contact:
Jochen Mohr
Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 2461 61-2062
E-Mail: jo.mohr@fz-juelich.de