This morning, the Altiero Spinelli Library of the Lazio Region hosted the event “Plasma accelerators: the next frontier of technology”, promoted by the Lazio Region in collaboration with the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), for EuPRAXIA, the innovative project of scientific and technological excellence at European level that will be launched in Lazio.
The event was opened by speeches from Roberta Angelilli, vice-president and councillor for Economic Development, Trade, Crafts, Industry, and Internationalisation of the Lazio Region, and Antonio Zoccoli, president of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN).
“The EuPRAXIA project represents an extraordinary opportunity for Lazio: above all for its strong scientific and technological value, as it also constitutes a research infrastructure open to enterprises, and for its tangible benefits to the region’s productive and employment fabric. The Region is proud to support an initiative that unites research, innovation and industrial development, strengthening our role in the European landscape of applied science”, stated Roberta Angelilli.
“The development of ultra-compact plasma accelerators will introduce a true technological leap forward, with advantages extending well beyond fundamental research: in this sense, EuPRAXIA represents both a major challenge and a major opportunity. On the one hand, it will require a significant joint effort by all the European laboratories that have joined the EuPRAXIA Consortium, including the INFN National Laboratories of Frascati, which lead the project. On the other hand, it will give rise to a wide range of innovative applications across many disciplines, also benefiting industry. Moreover, it is important to recall that EuPRAXIA is a major European research infrastructure and, as such, will act as both an attractor and generator of resources, particularly in terms of scientific and technological expertise, boosting the competitiveness of its region and of the Country as a whole”, underlined Antonio Zoccoli, president of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics.
This is a strategic project for Lazio, supported by a total investment of around €120 million by 2030, including €10 million from the 2021-2027 ERDF Regional Programme of the Lazio Region. EuPRAXIA is expected to generate significant economic and employment benefits locally. Estimates suggest an overall GDP impact approximately double the expenditure, with positive effects across 21 industrial sectors and a strong impetus for innovation and growth in the regional supply chain.
The INFN National Laboratories of Frascati will be the beating heart of the project, developing cutting-edge technologies in fields of high impact for both industry and society, including medicine, through new optical microscopy and micro-radiography techniques for more accurate diagnoses; cultural heritage, through the use of X-rays for the conservation and analysis of artworks; aerospace, via advanced studies of materials for structural applications; education and technology transfer, through the creation of a Centre of Excellence for universities, research institutes and businesses, with particular attention to strategic sectors such as biology, engineering, optics, quantum physics and cultural heritage enhancement.
The event also featured institutional greetings from Francesca Sbardella, mayor of Frascati, and contributions from Rene Martins, European Commission – DG Research & Innovation – ESFRI secretariat, Tiziana Petucci, director for Economic Development, Productive Activities and Research of Lazio Region, Pierluigi Campana, EuPRAXIA-ESFRI project coordinator, Diego Faso, CECOM quality manager, Massimo Ferrario, INFN scientific leader for the EuPRAXIA project, and Paola Gianotti, director of the INFN National Laboratories of Frascati.
The EuPRAXIA – European Plasma Research Accelerator with eXcellence In Applications project marks a decisive step towards the next generation of plasma accelerators, ultra-compact devices set to revolutionise scientific research and applications in the medical, industrial and technological domains.
“The activities to be developed within the INFN National Laboratories of Frascati will cover various research fields, shifting the current focus of our work from fundamental physics to more applied sectors. For us, this is certainly a challenge, but also an opportunity”, commented Paola Gianotti, director of the INFN National Laboratories of Frascati.
Included in 2021 in the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructure (ESFRI) Roadmap, EuPRAXIA sees Italy playing a leading role through the coordination of the INFN National Laboratories of Frascati, heading a European Consortium of over 40 partners among the most prestigious research institutions and universities on the continent, including CERN in Geneva, DESY in Hamburg, PSI in Zurich, Imperial College of London, and the Sapienza and Tor Vergata Universities of Rome.
“The EuPRAXIA Consortium is an example of close and intense collaboration between European laboratories and research institutions, aimed at building a network of infrastructures for innovation and applications in the field of particle accelerators, an emerging and high-impact sector”, explained Pierluigi Campana, coordinator of the EuPRAXIA Preparatory Phase.
“Thanks to the contribution of the Lazio Region, we will in particular launch a new research line, ARIA, which will strengthen the role of EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB within the European landscape, but above all will open a window onto the future: it will, in fact, be an infrastructure based on the new plasma accelerator technology that will attract international talent, stimulate innovation and offer new opportunities to enterprises and young researchers in our region”, explained Massimo Ferrario, head of the EuPRAXIA@SPARC_LAB project.
EuPRAXIA will also focus on training highly qualified researchers, technologists and technicians, creating new professional opportunities both within the project and in the regional production system. The Frascati Laboratories will become a hub for the development of advanced technical skills, offering concrete employment prospects within Lazio’s high-technology industries.
“EuPRAXIA is more than a scientific project: it is a driver of development, a bridge between cutting-edge research and economic growth, a strategic opportunity for Lazio and for Europe”, concluded Vice President Angelilli.
