The role of high-gradient and X-band technology is expanding steadily, with applications at a surprisingly wide range of scales. The April 2018 issue of the CERN Courier features an article on X-band technology: ''High-gradient X-band technology: from TeV colliders to light sources and more'' by Walter Wuench (CERN).

The article showcase how the demanding and creative environment of fundamental science serve as a fertile breeding ground for new technologies, in particular how technologies developed for CLIC show promise for smaller accelerators for applications outside high-energy physics. Several different XFEL applications are discussed: compact linacs and advanced diagnostics for photon sources (XFEL and Compton), medical applications (proton acceleration and very high energy electron therapy), and linacs to test advanced acceleration techniques.