Both ESRF and UGA have undergone a major transformation over the recent years: the ESRF underwent major upgrades of both the beamlines and the source, whereas the UGA has successfully merged its various components into a very competitive unified university.
Very recently, the UGA and ESRF have launched a vigorous programme of joint PhD projects over ten years, which has started in 2023, with the first projects already approved and currently starting.

In this context, the UGA Vice-President for Research and Innovation, Hervé Courtois, and the ESRF Director-General, Francesco Sette, have decided the organization of this UGA-ESRF Joint Symposium, in order to highlight and strengthen current collaborations, and most importantly to explore and stimulate new opportunities of collaboration, in particular via the programme of joint PhD projects.

After the welcome addresses delivered by Anne-Catherine Favre (Vice-President of UGA “Conseil d’Aministration”) and Francesco Sette (ESRF DG), the morning was dedicated to plenary oral sessions with talks given by a tandem of UGA and ESRF scientists, focusing on 4 main topics:

• condensed matter, materials, and energy – speakers: Julie Villanova (ESRF) and Sandrine Lyonnard (SyMMES, UGA)
• environmental sciences – speakers: Hiram Castillo-Michel (ESRF) and Alejandro Fernandez-Martinez (ISTerre, UGA)
• biology and health – speakers: Alexandra Pacureanu (ESRF) and Jacques-Philippe Colletier (IBS, UGA)
• data and artificial intelligence – speakers: Violaine Louvet (GRICAD, UGA) and Vincent Favre-Nicolin (ESRF)

After the lunch break, the afternoon started with a very lively poster session. It was followed by 4 parallel round table sessions (1. biology and health; 2. extreme conditions, earth and planetary science; 3. condensed matter, materials and energy; 4. data science), during which the participants had the opportunity to exchange on their vision of the collaboration between both institutions. Finally, all participants reconvened in a plenary session for the conclusion remarks delivered by Jean-Charles Augereau (Director of Pole PAGE of UGA) and Michael Krisch (ESRF Director of Research).

With about 200 registered participants and almost 60 poster presentations, the UGA-ESRF Joint Symposium was very successful event, giving rise to very lively scientific and social exchanges among scientists of both institutions.