More about
ALBA II
Transforming the ALBA Synchrotron into a 4th generation light source
ALBA Synchrotron
en
In an event that took place this afternoon, the President of the Generalitat and the Minister for Science, Innovation and Universities have signed an agreement to approve the ALBA II project, which will transform ALBA into a 4th generation facility, and to guarantee the financial stability of the infrastructure until 2038.
The budget approved by the Spanish Government and the Generalitat de Catalunya for the next 14 years is €926.2 million, funded 50% by each government, and including investments, operations and personnel. €170 million (18%) are devoted entirely to the ALBA II upgrade project. This new investment takes advantage of almost all of the previous investment in ALBA and increases its economic and societal return. The cost-benefit analysis has shown that each euro invested in ALBA II generates an annual social return of 1.5 euros.
The event has been presided over by the President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Salvador Illa; the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant; the Catalan Minister for Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat; the Secretary of State of Science, Innovation and Universities, Juan Cruz Cigudosa; and the Director of the ALBA Synchrotron, Caterina Biscari. There were also attending the Delegate of the Spanish government in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, the Mayor of Cerdanyola del Vallès, Carlos Cordon, and the Rector of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Javier Lafuente.
The event was streamed live and can be rewatched via this link.
Before signing the agreement, the delegation made a tour around ALBA. The director, Caterina Biscari, guided the group through the upcoming changes under the ALBA II project, highlighting its impact on the resolution, speed, and detection capabilities of synchrotron light-based experiments.
The tour included a visit to 3Sbar, the 14th beamline currently under construction and the first one to be developed as part of ALBA II. 3Sbar will focus on chemical and catalytic studies with applications in environmental and sustainable technologies. The visit ended in BOREAS, a beamline dedicated to the study of magnetic properties of advanced materials. There, attendees had the opportunity to speak with researchers from Johannes Kepler University (Austria), who are currently using the facility for spintronics-based material analysis.
Salvador Illa highlighted that this agreement is an example of the country's project: stable, ambitious, collaborative and putting the economy, innovation and knowledge at the service of citizens.
Diana Morant remarked the qualitative leap that this agreement represents, being a clear example of the Spanish Government's firm commitment to science.
Signing the agreement between the administrations.
The director of ALBA, Caterina Biscari, opening the event.
ALBA II: a new era for science
Currently ALBA is a 3rd generation synchrotron facility. It has thirteen beamlines and one microscopy platform that allow us to visualize the structure and properties of matter. Its advanced technology, detectors and data infrastructures are used every year by more than 3,500 researchers in fields as wide as the biomedicine, nanotechnology, chemistry, material physics or energy.
With ALBA II, the ALBA Synchrotron will become a fourth generation facility, aligned with the technological advances of the world's leading synchrotrons. This evolution represents a significant technological leap, which will dramatically reduce the size of the beam, increasing its accuracy and analytical capacity. The facility will go a step further, pushing the boundaries of what synchrotron science can achieve.
This technological transformation is essential to ensure that ALBA will keep at the forefront of European and global research in the coming years, consolidating its role in research and innovation. The investment will upgrade the accelerator and build new beamlines, that will make possible more precise and faster studies, expanding the range of scientific and industrial applications. Two of these new beamlines will be extra long (200-250 m) and their experimental stations will be located outside the current building. One will be dedicated to life sciences and the other to the study of advanced materials.
The ALBA II upgrade project will also renovate existing beamlines, including the relocation of one of them, expanding the data infrastructure and new buildings and additional laboratories.
Boosting Innovation and Industry
Beyond science, ALBA II is a catalyst for economic growth and industrial innovation. The project opens new opportunities for local and national industry, fostering the development of high-tech products with strong potential for international export. ALBA II reinforces the Synchrotron's role as a driver of competitiveness in Spain's knowledge economy.
From a current workforce of 275 professionals, ALBA expects to grow to 330 employees within six years, further strengthening its expertise and research capacity.
ALBA II Calendar
The ALBA Synchrotron will continue operating until the end of 2029, when the infrastructure will enter in shutdown for 2 years, to replace the accelerators, the new components, and do the commissioning. In 2032 the beam will be back with 4th generation technology.