The Institute of Corpuscular Physics (IFIC), located in the University of Valencia Science Park (PCUV) and a joint centre of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC)-an agency attached to the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU)- and the University of Valencia (UV), held this Monday the institutional event to commemorate its 75th anniversary.
This pioneering centre in fundamental physics, both nationally and internationally, was founded by the Valencian physicist Joaquín Catalá in 1950. Since then, IFIC has been driving research to understand the fundamental laws governing the physical world, both at the smallest distances and in the universe as a whole.
The event was attended by the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant; the Regional Secretary for Universities of the Generalitat Valenciana, María Esther Gómez; the Rector of the UV, Maria Vicenta Maestre; the delegate of the CSIC in the Juan Fuster; the director of IFIC, Nuria Rius; the deputy director of the institute, Sergio Pastor; and the director of the UV Science Park, Pedro Carrasco; among other authorities.
The Council of Ministers has approved €13.5 million for the IFIC building that will house the first Spanish hadrontherapy research infrastructure. Hadron therapy is a technology that uses hadrons, i.e., protons and carbon ions, to improve the radiological treatment of tumors, with extreme precision and minimal damage to healthy tissue; especially critical in pediatric and radio resistant tumors
During her speech, the minister stressed that the Council of Ministers has recently approved 13.5 million euros for the IFIC building that will house the first Spanish research infrastructure in hadrontherapy. This investment is in addition to the 21.8 million earmarked for the linear injector of protons and ions. In total, more than 35 million euros.
Hadron therapy is a technology that uses hadrons (i.e., protons and carbon ions) to improve the radiological treatment of tumors with extreme precision and minimal damage to healthy tissue; especially critical in pediatric and radio-resistant tumors. The Council of Ministers has approved 13.5 million euros for the building that will house this infrastructure, an investment in addition to the 21.8 million intended for the linear injector of protons and ions. In total, more than EUR 35 million.
For her part, the president of the CSIC has highlighted that the IFIC is an example of successful joint center between the CSIC and the University of Valencia, with groups mostly composed by members of both institutions and shared resources.
Don’t miss the photo gallery with the best moments of the IFIC 75th anniversary gala at the Parc Científic UV
This institute is dedicated to research in Nuclear, Particle and Astroparticle Physics and its applications both in Medical Physics and in other fields of Science and Technology.
In 2015, IFIC was awarded the 'Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence' accreditation in recognition of the relevance of its scientific contributions both nationally and internationally, their impact on society and industry and their ability to attract scientific talent. Their contributions to basic science and their strong commitment to technology transfer have led the IFIC to revalidate this accreditation in 2024.
The institute is made up of almost 400 professionals from 38 countries and more than 120 PhD students and young researchers. In particular, investigators work as a researcher for international collaborations whose experiments are carried out at CERN, the European Laboratory of Particle Physics where the Great Hadron Accelerator (LHC) is located, which covers 27 kilometres in circumference and is situated between Switzerland and France. The IFIC also includes researchers from international collaborations whose experiments are carried out at Fermilab, the particle physics laboratory in Chicago (USA) or even at the large KM3NeT neutrino telescope on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.
Do not miss the interview of Nuria Rius in our section Nosaltres eSTEM
Soruce: Delegation CSIC Comunitat Valenciana