Catalonia and Spain pledge €926m for ALBA II particle accelerator

The Catalan and Spanish governments have agreed to invest €926 million in the ALBA Synchrotron in Cerdanyola del Vallès – just north of Barcelona – between 2025 and 2038.

The funding will enable the launch of the long-awaited ALBA II, a fourth-generation particle accelerator designed to place the facility at the cutting edge of European scientific research.

Catalan president, Salvador Illa, and Spanish science minister, Diana Morant, formalized the agreement on Tuesday evening in what was described as an "historic" event.

Both Illa and Morant emphasized the "major technological leap" the facility represents, with plans for ALBA II to contribute to the development of new medicines and tools to tackle climate change, among other advancements.

Funding

The Catalan government will contribute €465 million and the Spanish ministry €461 million, according to the document signed on Tuesday, an addendum to the existing CELLS (Consortium for the Construction, Equipment, and Operation of the Synchrotron Light Laboratory) collaboration agreement.

The funds include resources from European programs such as FEDER (European Regional Development Fund) and FSE (European Social Fund).

With the new funding agreement, the current particle accelerator – the only one in Spain and among the most advanced in Europe – will be upgraded, and new beamlines will be constructed.

The centerpiece of the new investments is the launch of ALBA II in 2032, aimed at leading more precise and faster studies that will expand research possibilities in both scientific and industrial fields.

What is ALBA synchrotron?

Traveling at the speed of light. Can you imagine? That's what they do at the ALBA synchrotron – the only particle accelerator of its kind in Catalonia and across Spain, and the biggest in the Mediterranean. 

Electrons are accelerated by creating tiny synchrotron light beams, which allow researchers to visualize and analyze matter better at an atomic and a molecular level. Or, as one of the venue's longest-standing experts, Salvador Ferrer, puts it:  "This is a center that generates X-rays. X-ray beams are used for the common things of X-rays. One of the things is for radiographies [X-rays], for example. So here we do radiographies on cells."

Listen to the podcast below on cutting edge research in Catalonia, including the ALBA Synchrotron.