Flagship Project

Aim of the Flagship Project is the completion of an overall European realization started in 2005 upon approval of the European Council in late 2004 (quick-start projects). The whole project foresees the design and construction of the instrumentation and plants necessary for the realization of the first Free Electron Laser (FEL) for users in Europe, called FERMI. Moreover, it includes the update of the Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste infrastructures to improve energy saving and to integrate the operation of the two light sources Elettra and FERMI. This upgrade prepares and supports the Italian participation to the European Research Infrastructure EuroFEL included in the "European Strategy Forum on research Infrastructures" (ESFRI) Roadmap.

Other Italian public research institutions involved

The project is funded by the FOE (Fondo Ordinario per gli Enti e le istituzioni di ricerca, MIUR - Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca) through the ‘’Consorzio per l'Area di Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica di Trieste’’ (Area) with Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste in charge as unique responsible for the project planning and execution.
INFN, ENEA, CNR and INSTM, as well as several Italian Universities (Aquila, Camerino, Milan, Perugia, Rome "La Sapienza", Trieste), were involved in the project both in terms of formal and informal collaborations, emphasizing previous scientific partnerships.

International scientific and technical collaboration

• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, USA;
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, USA;
• University of California (UCLA), Los Angeles, USA;
• Chicago Argonne, LLC as operator of Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, USA;
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, USA;
• SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford, USA;
• RADIABEAM Technologies, LLC, Santa Monica, USA;
• Stiftung Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg, Germany;
• Freiburg University, Freiburg, Germany;
• MAX-lab - Lund University, Lund, Sweden;
• Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), Villigen, Switzerland;
• University of Nova Gorica, Nova Gorica, Slovenia;
• Instrumentation Technologies d.d., Solkan, Slovenia;
• The Russian Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute”, Mosca, Russia.

Strategic objectives

• Creation of the new free-electron laser FEL, FERMI and its integration into the Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste research centre.
• Coordination of FERMI and its integration at a European level through the participation in the EuroFEL initiative.
• Widening of the services to Italian and international researchers in the nanoscience and nanotechnology fields by making available innovative analytical techniques for structural and electronics characterization, with particular emphasis on dynamic and time-resolved studies through the use of coherent, polarized and high brightness electromagnetic radiation.
• Development of measurement techniques and analytical tools for applications in biology, energy research, innovative materials, preservation of cultural heritage, medical microscopy and micrometric clinical radiology.
• Intensification of the use of natural energy sources and reduction in carbon emission through the development and installation of trigeneration plants, also meant as technology demonstrators.