Manifold expertise

Editorial by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Panne, President of BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing

Almost invisible, but indispensable! Although analytics are seldom the center of attention, as an interdisciplinary science they are of vital importance for the innovation fields of the future. In many cases, innovations in nanotechnology, material or life sciences are only able to succeed due to the advancement of methodological analytical approaches – when new insights are made possible on the level of atoms and molecules. Robust analytical results are also needed for a rational discussion over socio-political controversies concerning renewable energy or the production of raw materials. Extensive material characterization of middling and end products of industrial processes determines the quality of many everyday objects.

The intrinsic complexity of today's analytical problems can only be solved by combining very different approaches. The Graduate School of Analytical Sciences Adlershof (SALSA) of the Humboldt-University of Berlin relies on interdisciplinary research and training on the boundaries between chemistry, physics and biology. The graduate school SALSA on the Adlershof site is integrated into a network of university, nonuniversity research institutions and private companies. As a center of expertise in analytics, the Analytic City Adlershof promotes the knowledge and technology transfer from basic research to developing and applying innovative analytical methods and technologies.

Today, questions of analytics connect very different partners in Adlershof. Analytical chemistry is one of the most important internal services in the Technology Park Adlershof. The site has a very long and successful tradition in instrumental analysis and in manufacturing scientific equipment. Thanks to the unique competencies and diverse skills of non-university research establishments and companies located on the site, Adlershof is well-positioned for future interdisciplinary innovation.