Strength in numbers

The Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications (TIFPA) opened its virtual doors in January at the University of Trento, in northern Italy. Under the umbrella of Italy’s National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), researchers at three existing local research structures will share equipment and develop joint projects. The physics and engineering departments at the University of Trento, the Trento Provincial Agency for Proton Therapy, and the Bruno Kessler Foundation (FBK)—a multidisciplinary applied research institute—make up the TIFPA team.

The virtual institute’s research palette is wide, from theoretical astrophysics to technology-driven research in sensors, space, supercomputing, and applications of nuclear methods in medicine. “There are several examples that show the strength of the chain from fundamental research to technology development to technology transfer,” says physicist Roberto Battiston, who moved to the University of Trento for TIFPA and counts himself its first hire. He points to one such example: commercialization of a photon detector that came out of an earlier collaboration between the INFN and FBK.

During tight economic times TIFPA sends a positive message, says Battiston. In fostering collaborations, the virtual institute aims to draw together a “critical mass to improve research capabilities so as to be more internationally competitive in frontier research and applications of economic and social interest,” he says. Excluding permanent salaries, TIFPA’s annual operations budget is expected to be around €1 million ($1.3 million).