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On 13 January 2020, over 1,000 researchers from 37 countries joined the first online conference in physics, the Photonics Online Meetup. With a raised awareness of the vast worldwide travel undertaken by researchers to attend conferences, virtual events provide an attractive solution, and can be organized to incorporate opportunities for social interaction.
The new European Spallation Source (ESS) and the MAX IV synchrotron in Sweden form the next European hub for accelerator-based research. Following visits to these centres, and participating in the Big Science Business Forum 2018 (BSBF2018) in Copenhagen, the future of European X-ray and neutron beamlines is explored.
