The Center for Free Electron Laser Science (CFEL) at DESY in Hamburg is a novel joint enterprise to advance science with next generation light sources. With CFEL, the Max Planck Society (MPG), DESY and the University of Hamburg, join forces to explore structural changes of atoms, molecules, condensed, biological or warm dense matter on femtosecond time scales. CFEL envisions uncovering the "dynamics of matter" by uniting expertise from the classical disciplines and research institutions in Germany into a new interdisciplinary effort. Within CFEL, the Max Planck Society is represented by the Max Planck Advanced Study Group and a Research Unit for Structural Dynamics that comprises currently the Max Planck Research Group for Condensed Matter Physics. One more experimental Research Group and several Independent Junior Research Groups will be established in the near future.

Groundbreaking for the CFEL building will take place early in 2009, with completion scheduled two years later. Funded by the State of Hamburg and the German Federal Government and designed by the architecture firm of hammeskrause, the building has been planned according to the requirements and wishes of the research groups within the CFEL: the office layouts encourage communication and discussion, and the distribution of laboratories anticipate and support collaborations of groups working in biology, biochemistry, chemistry and physics, or in the use of advanced laser facilities.