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Supervisory board appoints task force for rapid research operations
Following the fire on February 5, 2026, the Supervisory Board of the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research held an extraordinary meeting to address the current situation. In consultation with the management, immediate measures were decided upon to quickly restore research operations.
The focus is on repair and maintenance work, alternative solutions for resuming experimental operations, and the commissioning of FAIR – Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research. In addition, bridging options will be created for researchers who urgently require beamtime.
Joint task force established
The Supervisory Board welcomes the establishment of a task force with the participation of the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space, the Hessian Ministry of Science and Research, Arts and Culture, and the management. The aim is a coordinated implementation of the measures.
Furthermore, management was asked to quickly develop proposals for a suitable scientific transition program. This includes, in particular, short-term solutions for providing beamtime and so-called FAIR commissioning.
Fire in the high-voltage power supply area
The fire broke out on February 5th at around 6 a.m. in the area of the high-voltage electrical supply for the UNILAC linear accelerator, presumably as a result of a short circuit. At the time of the incident, the accelerator was not in scientific operation, but in a technical preparation phase.
Without the high-voltage power supply of UNILAC, the downstream accelerator facility cannot operate. This also currently limits the research associated with it.
Thanks to the rapid response of the fire department and functioning fire protection systems, the damage remained confined to the UNILAC building. Other areas on campus were unaffected, including the SIS18 ring accelerator, the associated experimental facilities, the PHELIX high-power laser, and the Green IT Cube data center.
(DARMSTADT – RD/PM/GSI)
