Lasers4EU consists of laboratories not only operating laser installations but also conducting laser-based research at the forefront of science. These research activities lead to continuous improvements of the facilities themselves through well-designed upgrades and inspire users by demonstrating how to make the best use of the most up-to-date instruments; they have consequently a strong impact on the whole community.

As scientists at a facility providing access will not be eligible for accessing another access provider as part of the regular transnational access activities, joint experiments play a crucial role in strengthening scientific collaboration between Lasers4EU partners. By combining complementary expertise, these joint efforts enable world-class, innovative, and ambitious curiosity-driven research projects that push well beyond the current state of the art.

Within Lasers4EU, there are two distinct types of joint experiments:

• Joint experiments for standard procedures and instrument calibration: focus on implementing standardised protocols and calibrating instruments by conducting identical experiments across multiple laboratories. Comparing the results allows validation of these procedures, which will be shared with the entire consortium to ensure consistency and reliability.

• Curiosity-driven joint experiments are collaborative projects with clear scientific missions that often lead to publications. These experiments leverage the complementary skills of Lasers4EU partners to pursue ambitious research goals. Proposals for curiosity-driven joint experiments can be submitted at any time through the standard access proposal procedure via the proposal management system. In the application form, applicants should mark the option “Joint Experiment.”