The Institute of Corpuscular Physics (IFIC), a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of Valencia and belonging to the scientific-academic area of the UV Science Park, held on March 29th the presentation of the Complementary Plan for Astrophysics and High Energy Physics in the Valencian Community. This R+D+i program has a regional budget of 8 million euros, funded by the Generalitat Valenciana and the Ministry of Science and Innovation, and is coordinated by the CSIC researcher at IFIC Carlos Lacasta. The exploration of the microscopic components of the universe and of astrophysical objects at large scales and their interrelation is the scientific objective of the proposal, which also emphasizes the practical application of the technologies developed.
The presentation brought together 60 experts in the field and was attended by the Councilor for Innovation, Universities, Science and Digital Society, Josefina Bueno; the Regional Secretary for Universities and Research, Mª Auxiliadora Jordá; the Director General of Science and Research, Jorge Arnau Llinares; the Vice Rector for Research at the UV, Carlos Hermenegildo; the Vice Rector for Research at the University of Alicante, Juan Mora; and the director of IFIC, Nuria Rius, among other authorities. The event was moderated by the CSIC researcher, Carmen García.
The exploration of the microscopic components of the universe and of astrophysical objects on large scales and their interrelationship is the scientific objective of the proposal.
The Complementary Plan for Astrophysics and High Energy Physics in the Valencian Community is part of the project Advanced technologies for the exploration of the universe and its components, in which seven autonomous communities participate: Andalusia, Aragon, Balearic Islands, Cantabria, Catalonia, Valencian Community and Madrid. It is financed with about 38 million euros, coming from the participating autonomous regions and European funds provided by the Ministry of Science and Innovation through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, which is fed by the 'Next Generation' Recovery Fund, approved by the EU to deal with the coronavirus crisis.
The Astrophysics and High Energy Physics program is one of the 8 priority research areas that both the Government of Spain and the autonomous communities want to promote with the complementary plans for R+D+i financed with funds from the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism. The Valencian Community participates in 5 of the 8 areas of scientific-technical interest: Marine Sciences; Quantum Communication; Agrifood; Astrophysics and high energy physics; and Advanced Materials.
Plan for Astrophysics and High Energy Physics in the Valencian Community Region
The initiative of the Valencian Community is the second with the second largest funding, about 8 million euros, and is led by IFIC. Among the institutions participating in the Complementary Plan for Astrophysics and High Energy Physics in the Valencian Community are the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), the Universitat de València (UV), the Universidad de Alicante (UA), the Universidad Miguel Hernández (UMH) and the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV).
For Josefina Bueno, "these disciplines require very ambitious research projects undertaken by large national and international collaborations. In this sense, it is important to consolidate and maintain our groups at the forefront of this effort, in addition to enhancing their visibility to optimize the scientific exploitation of research projects and to allow them to involve the industrial fabric from the earliest stages of the projects in which they participate. Another major objective is to enhance coordination with other national groups to increase visibility and specific weight in international collaborations, so that they can undertake more ambitious objectives".
The exploration of the laws of the universe, from its fundamental microscopic components to large-scale astrophysical objects and their interrelation, is behind the primary objectives of this proposal. "The program has a strong technological character, and emphasizes the development of the instruments that will allow us to achieve these goals and pave the way to the unknown," explains the coordinator, Carlos Lacasta. To this end, 30 research projects are financed.
The scientific and technological advances made in these projects have practical applications in other fields, such as medical physics (both for diagnostic imaging and the monitoring of new cancer therapies), or other fields, such as the control and monitoring of the decommissioning of nuclear power plants.
"The program has a strong technological character, and emphasizes the development of tools that allow us to achieve these objectives and pave the way to the unknown," Carlos Lacasta, CSIC researcher at IFIC and program coordinator.
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