Research of the future: How infrastructures are revolutionizing Germany's science!

Research of the future: How infrastructures are revolutionizing Germany's science!

On May 14, 2025, the research landscape took a significant step forward. Tiller Alpha, an innovative project, will develop analyzes in close collaboration with various research infrastructures and core facilities. The aim of this initiative is to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics within user communities, usage patterns and cooperation networks. These efforts are particularly important in times of political uncertainty and limited financial resources.

Research infrastructures and core facilities offer a variety of complex scientific instruments, including light sources, lasers, particle accelerators and telescopes. Techniques such as large language models and complex algorithms are used to analyze valuable data from project applications, publications and statistical metadata. Key questions that Tiller Alpha addresses are: Who uses these tools? How frequently are they used? And how can cooperation networks and their dynamics be modeled sensibly?

The challenges of user analysis

Despite the promising approaches, Tiller Alpha also faces challenges. Resource-intensive user analyzes and the increasing complexity due to the multitude of instruments and flexible usage structures make the work demanding. However, pilot studies carried out in cooperation with MAX IV and the Bonn Technology Campus are already showing positive results and proving the effectiveness of the analyzes developed.

The founding idea for Tiller Alpha comes from the Pufendorf Institute for Advanced Studies at Lund University. The team consists of sensitive data and data analysis experts who understand the needs of research infrastructures. A prototyping grant from the University of Bonn, which was approved at the end of 2023, enables the construction of the project's technical infrastructure and the development of the “Tiller” prototype. The EXIST Women program also supports the professional and personal growth of those involved through workshops and mentoring.

Resources and financing models

The Charité also provides researchers with access to modern research infrastructures and core facilities. These facilities are available in few locations due to their high complexity and acquisition costs. The Charité offers a comprehensive range of services that includes large-scale scientific equipment as well as methodological expertise and material and data collections. The use of these central facilities is billed transparently, which enables a predictable cost structure for scientific projects and meets high quality requirements. This transparency is crucial because costs incurred can be presented to third-party donors.

The research infrastructures (FIS), which are funded by the federal government, play a central role in the performance and innovative strength of Germany as a science location. These include basic research instruments, federated data infrastructures as well as research buildings and large-scale equipment at universities. According to that BMBF The funds for the construction and operation of large-scale basic research equipment amounted to 1.585 billion euros in 2022.

In summary, it can be said that Tiller Alpha and similar projects play an important role in the further development of research infrastructures. By using the latest technologies and focusing on the needs of users, the way for innovative scientific findings is paved.