LOFAR CZ Kick-off Meeting

Kick-off Meeting of the Czech participation in LOFAR ERIC

16 September, 2026, Prague, Czech Academy of Sciences, Národní 3

Venue: Czech Academy of Sciences, Národní 3, Prague 1 - hall 108; remote participation will be possible
Date: Wednesday, 16 September, 2026, 10:00 - 18:00
Register here.
Registration deadline: 7 September, 2026 (or later for remote participation only)

List of registered participants.

Following the accession of the Czech Republic to LOFAR ERIC in 2025, the EU ARC.CZ large research infrastructure is pleased to invite you to the Kick-off Meeting of the Czech Participation in LOFAR ERIC. The meeting is open to anyone interested in LOFAR science or technology and participation in the Czech LOFAR Consortium. The main goals of the meeting are to: 

1. bring together the Czech LOFAR community and establish the Czech LOFAR Consortium;
2. introduce LOFAR, its scientific capabilities, and the upcoming LOFAR2.0 era;
3. provide information on the LOFAR2.0 Large Programmes and opportunities to participate in them;
4. discuss the future involvement of the Czech community in LOFAR, including the construction of a Czech LOFAR station.
   
   

We are very pleased that the meeting will be attended in person by:

• Michiel van Haarlem, Executive Director of LOFAR ERIC;
• John Swinbank, Science Data Centre Programme Manager at ASTRON;
• Matthias Hoeft, coordinator of the German LOFAR consortium (Thuringian State Observatory Tautenburg); and
• Andrzej Krankowski, Chair of the Polish LOFAR consortium (University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn).

Program, 10:00 - 18:00

Based on the responses of registered participants, we invited representatives of selected LOFAR 2.0 Large Programmes. The LOFAR 2.0 Large Programmes are ambitious, community-driven observing projects proposed in 2023 that are currently being prepared together with LOFAR ERIC for the start of LOFAR 2.0 operations. They are expected to form a major part of the scientific programme during the early years of LOFAR 2.0.

For remote participation, please use the following Zoom link:

https://cesnet.zoom.us/j/95945396406?pwd=0lVG0WuNkV5JaG8njqtdtDSQOjcTiS.1

Meeting ID: 959 4539 6406
Passcode: 865707

9:30 - 10:00 Registration, morning coffee and tea

The LOFAR Observatory and the Czech Republic joining LOFAR

• 10:00 - Welcome by organizers
• 10:05 - Czech participation in LOFAR ERIC (M. Bárta)
• 10:15 - LOFAR observatory and LOFAR ERIC (M. van Haarlem)

11:00 - 11:20 Coffee break

• 11:20 - LOFAR data availability, archive, data processing, computing/storage requirements (J. Swinbank)
• 12:00 - Discussion on future computing and storage facilities for LOFAR CZ

12:20 - 13:00 Lunch break

National LOFAR Consortia and National LOFAR stations

• 13:00 - German LOFAR Consortium (M. Hoeft)
• 13:30 - POLFAR activity within ILT and LOFAR ERIC (A. Krankowski)

The LOFAR Scientific highlights & LOFAR 2.0 Large Programmes

• 14:00 - LOFAR Surveys and Planning LOFAR 2.0 Large Programmes (M. van Haarlem)

14:30 - 15:00 Coffee break

• 15:00 - 16:40 : Selected LOFAR 2.0 Large Programmes
• • LUDO – LOFAR 2.0 Ultra-Deep Observation (L. Morabito)
  • L2GPS – The LOFAR 2.0 Galactic Plane Survey (M. Hajduk)
  • LORAX – LOFAR 2.0 Observations of Radio Astrophysical eXplosions (A. Rowlinson)
  • Cosmic ray detection with LOFAR 2.0 (K. Mulrey)
  • Solar Physics, Ionosphere, Heliosphere and Space Weather studies with LOFAR 2.0 (P. Zucca)
  • PFTS – LOFAR 2.0 Pulsar & Fast Transient Surveys (J. Hessels)
  • Pulsars and Repeaters Research, a Pulsar and Fast Transient Monitoring (C. Tiburzi)
  • Nearby Galaxies as Laboratories for Galaxy Evolution with LOFAR 2.0 (V. Heesen)
  • ILoTSS – The International LOFAR Two-metre Sky Survey (T. Shimwell)
  • LLoCuSS – The LBA LOFAR Community Sky Survey (C. Groeneveld)

16:40 - 16:55 Coffee break

Czech LOFAR Consortium and Czech LOFAR station

• 16:55 - Establishing Czech LOFAR Consortium
• 17:00 - General discussion on LOFAR CZ:
• • Networking, collaboration, activities,
  • Czech station, stand-alone observing programs,
  • Computing and storage resources,
  • User support infrastructure,
  • LOFAR development,
  • etc.

18:00 End of meeting

Contact: alma-arc@asu.cas.cz