CERN Accelerating science

FEST: Future Experiments seek Smart Technologies

A gas electron multiplier (GEM) is a type of gaseous ionisation detector used in particle physics. GEMs are one of the class of micropattern gaseous detectors, which includes micromegas and other technologies. Future detectors need improved production techniques to facilitate their industrialisation for other non-academic applications like security and medical imaging applications. The EU-funded FEST project will develop techniques for better production yield and reduced construction time, allowing also for a significant cost reduction. It will also perform Monte Carlo simulations of future experiments that will improve and update event generators to the new experimental scenarios.

Coordinator: INFN, Italy

Scientist in Charge from CERN: 
Rui de Oliveira

Full costs of the project: 2.1 M€ 

EU funding: 2.1 M€

EU funding for CERN: 5 k€

1 January 2020 - 31 December 2023

E-JADE: Europe – Japan Accelerator Development Exchange Programme

E-JADE aims to support staff exchange between European and Japanese institutions (KEK and University of Tokyo) in the area of future accelerators for particle physics. The goal is to progress on the design, R&D and prototyping of the future accelerator facilities, providing results on the timescale of the European Strategy update in 2018-2019 and providing input to the Japanese development projects in this area.

Coordinator: CERN, Switzerland

Scientist in Charge from CERN: 
Steinar Stapnes

Full costs of the project: 1.6 M€ 

EU funding: 1.6 M€ 

EU funding for CERN: 580 k€

1 January 2015 - 31 December 2018

Smart Sensor Technologies and Training for Radiation Enhanced Applications and Measurements

STREAM is a 4-year multi-site training network that aims at career development of Early Stage Researchers on scientific design, construction manufacturing and of advanced radiation instrumentation. STREAM targets the development of innovative radiation-hard, smart CMOS sensor technologies for scientific and industrial applications.

Coordinator: CERN, Switzerland

Scientist in Charge from CERN: 
Heinz Pernegger

Full costs of the project: 3.8 M€

EU funding: 3.8 M€ 

EU funding for CERN: 707 k€

1 January 2016 - 31 December 2019

RADSAGA: RADiation and Reliability Challenges for Electronics used in Space, for Aviation, at Ground and at Accelerators

RADSAGA brings together industry, universities, laboratories and test-facilities to train young engineers, bachelors & masters in all aspects related to electronics which is exposed to radiation within the four major application areas: Space, Aviation, Ground and Accelerators where a fast moving field of technology development requires a change of paradigm in terms of radiation qualification of critical electronic components and systems.

Coordinator: CERN, Switzerland

Scientist in Charge from CERN: 
Markus Brugger

Full costs of the project: 3.9 M€

EU funding: 3.9 M€ 

EU funding for CERN: 724 k€

1 March 2017 - 28 February 2021 

OMA - Optimization of Medical Accelerators

OMA  joins universities, research centers and clinical facilities with industry partners to address the challenges in designing and optimizing cancer treatment facilities using radio therapy, in numerical simulations for the development of advanced treatment schemes, and in beam imaging and treatment monitoring. The proposed R&D program ranges from life sciences (oncology, cell and micro biology and medical imaging), physics and accelerator sciences, mathematics and IT, to engineering and it is hence ideally suited for an innovative training of early stage researchers.

Coordinator: UNILIV, United Kingdom

Scientist in Charge from CERN: 
Steve Myers

Full costs of the project: 3.8 M€

EU funding: 3.8 M€ 

EU funding for CERN: 265 k€

1 February 2016 - 31 January 2020

MEDICIS- produced radioisotope beams for medicine

MEDICIS-PROMED aims to develop a network of academic, medical and industrial partners providing an extensive doctoral program to 11 ESRs and 4 Swiss-supported ESRs in the field of new personalized treatments using radioisotope beams, notably for treatment of the deadly ovarian cancer, exploiting the newly discovered tumour endothelial marker 1 (TEM1/endosialin) for targeting the cancerous tissues. In this scheme, CERN is the coordinating partner, and collaborates with local hospitals which are able to exploit short-lived isotopes produced in the newly constructed CERN-MEDICIS facility. It fits within an extended network of high-technology companies and leading academic research institutes which will design new components for the development or tests of innovative radiopharmaceuticals and imaging agents for personalized treatment. It brings world-class researchers together in the field of lasers and isotope mass separation, accelerators, material science, oncology, entrepreneurial radiopharmaceutical production, and imaging, to propose new solutions to the 2nd deadliest cancer for women. In addition, the network will benefit from the coaching of the pioneer of personalized PET-imaging aided carbon hadron therapy recently tested in Japan.

Coordinator: CERN, Switzerland

Scientist in Charge from CERN: 
Thierry Stora

Full costs of the project: 2.8 M€

EU funding: 2.8 M€ 

EU funding for CERN: 795 k€

1 January 2015 - 31 December 2018

LISA: Laser Ionization and Spectroscopy of Actinides

LISA aims to train the next generation of atomic, nuclear and laser scientists by conducting research to increase our understanding of the atomic and nuclear properties of the chemical elements known as the actinides. Of long-standing interest to the fields of fundamental atomic and nuclear physics, this effort is an essential prerequisite for unravelling the structure of the superheavy elements at the end of the Mendeleev table. This knowledge is required for the effective production, identification and handling of these elements, and is thus a necessary foundation towards understanding and exploiting the potential for practical applications of the actinides in the fields of medical physics, nuclear applications and environmental monitoring. The project consortium of world-leading experts in radioactive ion beam research and applications, laser spectroscopy, scientific laser technologies (industrial partners) and nuclear and atomic theorists will recruit and train 15 doctoral students.

Coordinator: CERN, Switzerland

Scientist in Charge from CERN: 
Bruce Marsh

Full costs of the project: 4.2 M€

EU funding: 4.2 M€ 

EU funding for CERN: 562 k€

1 November 2019 - 31 October 2023

INTENSE ITN: particle physics experiments at the intensity frontier

Neutrinos come in three types or flavours: electron, muon and tau. They are known to oscillate in and out of the three flavours as they travel in space, but only further evidence will help scientists determine whether they also oscillate into a fourth type – a sterile neutrino. The EU-funded INTENSE project constitutes a new European training network between universities, research centres and industries. The project's researchers will take leading roles in the Short-Baseline Neutrino programme at Fermilab, which focusses on the search for the sterile neutrino. They will participate in the commissioning of the two particle detectors comprising this programme (Icarus and the Short-Baseline Near Detector) and develop new detector technologies, data acquisition and analysis techniques. Their endeavours will foster the development of cutting-edge technologies with spin-offs outside particle physics

Coordinator: UniPisa, Italy

Scientist in Charge from CERN: Marzio Nessi

Full costs of the project: 

EU funding: 2.6 M€

EU funding for CERN: 141 K€

9 January 2020 - 31 August 2024

INSIGHTS: Advanced Statistical Methods for Particle Physics 

INSIGHTS will develop advanced statistical methods and apply them to current research in Particle Physics, and through this, to many areas of society. It will create a cohort of physicists with expertise in modern statistical methods and in doing so will establish collaborations and educational structures that will continue long into the future. The software and tools created to achieve these goals will be made available to researchers in and beyond the field of Particle Physics.

Coordinator: RHUL, UK

Scientist in Charge from CERN: 
Lorenzo Moneta

Full costs of the project: 3 M€

EU funding: 3 M€ 

EU funding for CERN: 265 k€

1 September 2017 - 31 August 2021

EASITrain: European Advanced Superconductivity Innovation and Training

This EU funded research and training program will advance the understanding of the behaviour of superconductors under different operating conditions, will establish innovative production techniques and will improve the cost efficiency of cryogenic refrigeration systems as an enabler for large-scale deployment. The project will establish a training curriculum in superconductivity for qualified experts in Europe who can bring the technology to the market. Together with industry representatives, funding agencies and decision takers at national and international level, the project aims at drawing up an R&D and product development roadmap and assessing its valorisation potentials.

Project internal page, Factsheet

Coordinator: CERN, Switzerland

Scientist in Charge from CERN: 
Amalia Ballarino, Michael Benedikt

Project Officer (CERN): Johannes Gutleber

Full costs of the project: 3.8 M€

EU funding: 3.8 M€ 

EU funding for CERN: 265 k€

1 October 2017 - 30 September 2021