IRIS-A New Distributed Research Infrastructure on Applied Superconductivity

In the frame of the Next Generation Europe program, the EU program to boost after-COVID recovery, the Italian Minister of University and Research has funded a project called Innovative Research Infrastructure for applied Superconductivity (IRIS). New laboratories will be built or upgraded in six poles: Milan (hub of the infrastructure), Genoa, Frascati, Naples, Salerno, and Lecce, to carry out basic research on magnetism and superconducting materials, test of wires, tapes, and large current cables, superconducting magnets construction with advanced instrumentation, power tests of magnets, and a special facility for high current-high voltage superconducting lines. The program will be executed over three years and then will operate for at least 10 years. It includes two first demonstrators: one HTS magnet to be operated at 10–20 K and a superconducting line of 1 GW (40 kA–25 kV) about 140 m long. The demonstrators anticipate the main scope of the investment in the IRIS infrastructure: to support the use of superconductivity for improving sustainability by decreasing the energy consumption without compromising performance. This article describes the global IRIS project.

I. Introduction

The Italian Minister for University and Research has funded in 2022 a large program for an Innovative Research Infrastructure on applied Superconductivity (IRIS) in Italy [1], [2]. This infrastructure is a partnership among: INFN (the National Institute for Nuclear Physics), CNR-SPIN (National Council of Research) and the universities of Genoa, of Milan, of Naples, of Salento (Lecce) and of Salerno. INFN participates with 4 laboratories: LASA (attached to the INFN division of Milan), the National Laboratory of Frascati, the laboratory of INFN division of Genova, and the laboratory of Salerno (attached to the INFN division of Napoles). CNR-SPIN participates with 3 units: Genoa, Naples, and Salerno. The LASA (Laboratorio Acceleratori e Superconduttività Applicata) in Milan is the hub of the infrastructure and coordinates the activities. IRIS will include upgrades of existing infrastructures, with new state-of-the-art instruments, reinforcing the capability of Italy in the domain of superconductivity with focus on application to accelerators, healthcare and energy. IRIS foresees a strong coordination of the activity of the participating laboratories until 2035, at least, thus enhancing the participation of Italian laboratories to future projects requiring advanced superconducting technology, like as FCC (Future Circular Collider at CERN) and the Muon-Collider. IRIS is meant also for enhancing societal applications of technologies developed for high-energy accelerators, especially for the energy domain and the medical sector.