As the 8th DRD1 Collaboration Meeting comes to a close in Coimbra, Portugal (29 June – 3 July), it’s a great moment to reflect on the value of bringing together the CERN detector R&D community to help shape the future of instrumentation.
The challenges posed by current and future accelerator programmes, such as the High-Luminosity LHC, together with the growing demands of astroparticle physics, call for innovation, collaboration, and a shared commitment to pushing detector technologies beyond their current limits. Meetings like DRD1 are where ideas become collaborations, and collaborations become the technologies that will enable the next generation of discoveries.
Throughout this week-long meeting, ASTROCENT was represented by Dr. André Cortez’s group, Dr. Pedro Silva, Dr. Kris Haverson, and Diego Rodas Rodríguez, whose work spans novel approaches to Migdal effect detection in gases relevant to the DarkSide collaboration, innovative optical MPGDs, and simulation frameworks designed to benefit the wider community.
At Astrocent, our role in the future of detector technology is clear: we want to be part of this transformation. We want to contribute to a community that takes on some of the most complex scientific and technological challenges of our time, developing innovative detector solutions that bring us closer to a deeper understanding of our Universe.
This year’s meeting gave us many reasons to celebrate. We remain as committed and passionate as ever to supporting this growing community, and we’re honoured by the trust placed in us through the appointment of Dr. André Cortez to the DRD1 Collaboration Resources Board.
We’re equally proud of the recognition received by our team, with Kristian C. Z. Haverson receiving the Best Poster Award for presenting our work on novel MPGD-based approaches to studying the Migdal effect. This recognition reflects the dedication, creativity, and collaborative spirit of everyone involved, including APC (France), INFN LNS (Italy), and LIP (Portugal).
Finally, a heartfelt thank you to the entire organizing committee for delivering such an outstanding meeting. A special thank you to Filipa Borges (LOC Chair) and Afonso Marques (LOC) for their incredible work, for welcoming us to the beautiful city of Coimbra, and for showcasing the outstanding contributions of Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas and Universidade de Coimbra to our community.
We look forward to continuing our collaborative projects, strengthening our partnerships, and supporting you in the exciting work ahead.
See you at the next DRD1 meeting!
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