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Snapshots of the President visiting the ALBA experimental hall. At the left, in front of CIRCE beamline. At the right, next to the impressive new installation of MINERVA beamline.
Cerdanyola del Vallès (Barcelona), 15th December 2022. Accompanied by the Minister for Research and Universities, Joaquim Nadal, and the director of the ALBA Synchrotron, Caterina Biscari, the President of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, visited yesterday afternoon the ALBA experimental area and spoke with some of the users who were conducting experiments that day. They were accompanied during the visit by the General Director of Research, Joan Gómez Pallarès, the mayor of Cerdanyola del Vallès, Carlos Cordón, the rector of the UAB, Javier Lafuente, the director of the Parc de l'Alba, Pere Solà, and the territorial delegate from Barcelona, Joan Borràs.
The President highlighted the value of ALBA as "one of the great scientific assets of Catalonia and an exceptional research tool".
Allocation of land plots for the ALBA II project
At the end of the visit, the President, accompanied by the Minister and the director of ALBA, confirmed the allocation of plots next to ALBA. "The new plots allocated by the Government will double the current surface area of the ALBA Synchrotron", said the President in reference to the three annexed plots, which will house new facilities related to the ALBA II project. This land extension opens new opportunities for the future development of a scientific and innovation hub in collaboration with other institutions.
The ALBA II project foresees the replacement of the ALBA accelerator, the construction of three new extra-long beamlines that will be located on the new plots, the upgrade of the current scientific instruments, the development of the data infrastructure, and, in general, the creation of a cutting-edge instrument that will be available, from 2030, for the public and private scientific community to solve the challenges of society and advance knowledge of the world that surrounds us.
At the left, Montse Pont, head of the Coordination office of ALBA, explaining how the accelerators work. At the right, Caterina Biscari shows the President the exact location of the three adjacent plots for ALBA II.
The ALBA II project
With ALBA II, the ALBA Synchrotron will become a 4th generation light source, dramatically improving its analytical capabilities. The new beam will be much smaller and brighter, resulting in higher resolution, greater coherence, and the ability to run experiments in less time. It will be extremely useful for investigating scientific challenges in the area of life sciences, the development of microchips or new energy sources such as batteries.
The project foresees a total investment of 120 million euros in 8 years, of which the Generalitat will contribute 50%.
"Today, ALBA II is taking its firsts steps to become a more modern, advanced and powerful synchrotron", said the President. "With a 4th generation facility, our country will take a leap forward being at the fore-front of cutting-edge research and be more competitive at an international level", he concluded.
At the left, the President talking to users at BOREAS beamline. At the right, visiting the METCAM electron microscope installed at JEMCA (Joint Electron Microscopy Center at ALBA).
