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IISC25 Workshop in Frankenfels, Austria – A Great Success

After nearly 20 years, the IISC workshop series returned to Austria: IISC25 brought together 85 participants from 20 countries at the Steinschaler Dörfl in Frankenfels – an intense and lively meeting of the international community working on ion–surface interactions.

Large group photo of about 80 IISC-25 conference participants standing outdoors in front of a green hillside landscape in Frankenfels, Austria.

© Julia Lemell

IISC-25 Conference Photo

Group photo of the participants of the 25th International Workshop on Inelastic Ion–Surface Collisions (IISC-25), held in September 2025 in Frankenfels, Austria. The image shows around 80 researchers and students standing outdoors with the hilly landscape of the Lower Austrian Mostviertel region in the background. 

The Atomic and Plasma Physics research unit of the Institute of Applied Physics at TU Wien hosted the 25th International Workshop on Inelastic Ion–Surface Collisions (IISC25) from 14–19 September 2025. The meeting took place at the Steinschaler Dörfl in Frankenfels (Lower Austria) and brought together 85 participants from 20 countries – the largest IISC attendance since 2006 and an encouraging sign of the community’s strong recovery following the challenging pandemic years.

The IISC workshop series was founded in 1976 at Bell Labs (USA) and has since developed into one of the leading international forums for research on ion–solid interactions. Austria and TU Wien have played a notable role in this history:

  • 1990: The workshop was held in Wiener Neustadt, organized by the late researchers Gerhard Betz and Peter Varga.
  • 2006: The meeting returned to Austria and was hosted at Schloss Hernstein under the leadership of Fritz Aumayr.
  • 2025: The IISC came back to Austria for the third time – this time to Frankenfels – organized by Fritz Aumayr, Anna Niggas, and Richard Wilhelm (TU Wien).

The scientific programme featured plenary, invited and contributed talks, and a lively poster session, leading to in-depth discussions on fundamental mechanisms of ion–solid collisions, charge- and energy-transfer processes, as well as applications in materials science, surface analysis, fusion research, and astrophysics.

A hallmark of the IISC series is not only the scientific quality, but also its distinctive format:

  • no parallel sessions,
  • intense and open discussions,
  • direct exchange between senior experts and young researchers, and
  • deliberately chosen “no-escape venues” – small and remote locations that naturally encourage strong scientific interaction.

This spirit was clearly felt in Frankenfels: The 85 participants enjoyed a week of stimulating science, lively debates, and a warm, friendly, almost family-like atmosphere. Several colleagues who had already attended the 2006 workshop in Hernstein were also present again.

The meeting was complemented by a social programme including a welcome barbecue, a Danube boat trip through the Wachau, a traditional Heuriger evening in Dürnstein, and a festive conference dinner.

Overall, IISC25 was a great success and received exceptionally positive feedback from all participants. The next workshop in the series will take place in Sweden in 2027.