The opening of ELI-NP's 1st User Workshop started with updates on the progress of implementation by the Project Manager, Prof. Nicolae Victor Zamfir, and Scientific Director, Prof. Kazuo Tanaka. Prof. Zamfir announced that commissioning ("Day 0") experiments should start next year, while "Day 1" experiments, resulting from proposals by international users, are planned for 2021. News also broke about the signing of a new contract with the American Company Lyncean Technologies Inc. (Fremont, CA) for the Versatile Gamma-ray (VEGA) System, which is expected to be operational at the beginning of 2023. ELI-NP experts presented papers on the High Power Laser System and the Laser Beam Transport System, the Target Laboratory and the 10 PW Commissioning Experiments, while the second part of the day was dedicated to a tour of the facility and talks by scientists from University California San Diego, the Naval Research Laboratory, Ohio State University, from the US, and University of Strathclyde and Queen's University Belfast, from the UK.
