CERN Accelerating science

ARIES: Accelerator Research and Innovation for European Science and Society

The main goals of ARIES are linked to developing and demonstrating novel concepts and further improving existing accelerator technologies, providing European researchers and industry with access to top-class accelerator research and test infrastructures, enlarging and further integrating the accelerator community in Europe, and developing a joint strategy towards sustainable accelerator S&T.

ARIES brings together 41 beneficiaries from 18 countries: accelerator laboratories, technology institutes, universities and industrial partners (7 industrial partners, including two SMEs and one association).

Innovation will be fostered by joint co-development programmes with industry, by supporting innovative technologies with market potential, and by advancing concepts and designs for medical, industrial and environmental applications of accelerators for the wide benefit of European science and society.

Coordinator: CERN, Switzerland

Scientist in Charge from CERN: 
Maurizio Vretenar

Full costs of the project: 24.7 M€ 

EU funding: 10 M€

EU funding for CERN: 2 M€

1 May 2017 - 30 April 2022

AIDA-2020: Advanced European Infrastructures for Detectors at Accelerators

AIDA-2020 brings together 38 partners from 19 countries. The project aims to advance detector technologies beyond current limits for the benefit of thousands of researchers participating in the LHC High-Luminosity Upgrade, linear collider efforts and future neutrino projects, and to enhance the coordination within the European detector community, leveraging EU and national resources. AIDA-2020 will also exploit the innovation potential of detector R&D by engaging with European industry for large-scale production of detector systems and by developing applications outside of particle physics, e.g. for medical imaging. 

Coordinator: CERN, Switzerland

Scientist in Charge from CERN: Konrad Elsener

Full costs of the project: 29 M€ 

EU funding: 10 M€

EU funding for CERN: 2.3 M€

1 May 2015 - 30 April 2020

ICEDIG: Innovation and consolidation for large scale digitisation of natural heritage

Modern science requires digital access to data. European collections account for 55% of the natural sciences collections globally, holding more than 1 billion objects, which represent 80% of the world’s bio- and geo-diversity. Only around 10% of these have been digitally catalogued and 1-2% imaged, rendering their information underused. This challenge is being tackled by the new ESFRI initiative Distributed System of Scientific Collections (DiSSCo). DiSSCo will unify access to collection data in a harmonised and integrated manner across Europe. Building on previous project outputs, community and industrial expertise, the ICEDIG project will design all the technical, financial, policy and governance aspects for developing and operating DiSSCo. The outputs will be prototypes, blueprints, novel workflows, new industry partnerships, and citizen involvement models, paving the way for the successful construction of the DiSSCo research infrastructure.

Coordinator: UEF, Finland

Scientist in Charge from CERN: 
Tim Smith

Full costs of the project: 3 M€ 

EU funding: 3 M€

EU funding for CERN: 30 k€

1 January 2018 - 31 March 2020

ESSnuSB: Feasibility study for employing the uniquely powerful ESS linear accelerator to generate an intense neutrino beam for leptonic CP violation discovery and measurement

ESSnuSB Design Study aims to prepare the ground for a neutrino facility in Europe to address the explanation for the existence of matter-antimatter asymmetry in the leptonic sector. The reasons behind the existence of this asymmetry will help to understand the antimatter disappearance in the Universe.

The project will cover the feasibility of the required upgrade of the ESS proton linear accelerator currently under construction and the design and performance of the required accumulation ring, the neutrino facility target station and the near and far detectors.

Coordinator: CNRS, France

Scientist in Charge from CERN: 
Ilias Efthymiopoulos

Full costs of the project: 4.6 M€ 

EU funding: 3 M€

EU funding for CERN: 64 k€

1 January 2018 - 31 December 2021

EuroCirCol: European Circular Energy-Frontier Collider Study

EuroCirCol is a conceptual design study in preparation for a post-LHC accelerator in Europe, i.e. the FCC (Future Circular Collider). The project will study different scenarios and assess the feasibility of key technologies needed for a new 100 TeV energy-frontier circular collider through a collaboration of institutes and universities worldwide. The main outcome of EuroCirCol will be laying the foundation of an ambitious post-LHC machine that will strengthen Europe’s position as a focal point of global research cooperation and a leader in frontier knowledge and technologies over the next decades.

Coordinator: CERN, Switzerland

Scientist in Charge from CERN: 
Michael Benedikt

Full costs of the project: 10 M€ 

EU funding: 3 M€

EU funding for CERN: 138 k€

1 June 2015 - 31 December 2019

CompactLight (XLS): X-band Light Source

XLS aims to facilitate the widespread development of X-ray FEL facilities across Europe and beyond, by making them more affordable to construct and operate through an optimum combination of emerging and innovative accelerator technologies. Diverse advances including high-gradient linac technology, advanced undulators, low-emittance electron sources, and advanced beam dynamics tools and developments will be brought together to achieve the XLS objectives.

Coordinator: Elettra, Italy

Scientist in Charge from CERN: 
Andrea Latina

Full costs of the project: 3.5 M€ 

EU funding: 3 M€

EU funding for CERN: 303 k€

1 January 2018 - 31 December 2020

BrightnESS: Building a research infrastructure and synergies for highest scientific impact on ESS

Thermal neutrons are one of the most powerful probes that look directly at the structure and dynamics of materials from the macro- to the microscopic scale and from nano-seconds to seconds.

17 European Partner Countries have joined together to construct the world’s most powerful neutron source, the European Spallation Source (ESS). Simply constructing the ESS will not, by itself, ensure the maximum scientific or technological impact. What is needed is an integrated program that ensures that key challenges are met in order to build an ESS that can deliver high impact scientific and technological knowledge.

With a timeline of 36 months, BrightnESS will ensure that (A) the extensive knowledge and skills of European companies, and institutes, are best deployed in the form of In-Kind Contributions to ESS for its construction and operation, (B) that technology transfer both to, and from, the ESS to European institutions and companies is optimised and, (C) that the maximum technical performance is obtained from the ESS target, moderators and detectors in order to deliver world class science and insights for materials technology and innovation.

Coordinator: ESS, Sweden

Scientist in Charge from CERN: 
Michael Lupberger

Full costs of the project: 20 M€ 

EU funding: 20 M€

EU funding for CERN: 715 k€

1 September 2015 - 31 August 2018