The visit marks an important step in reinforcing the collaboration between ALBA and the local business ecosystem. The group, led by Antoni Cañete, had the opportunity to visit ALBA's experimental hall as well as different beamlines.

During the meeting, Caterina Biscari, director of ALBA, highlighted how synchrotron light is a powerful tool for driving competitiveness and innovation within SMEs across various sectors, from pharmaceutical, chemistry or automotive to cosmetics and food industries. Antoni Cañete confirmed that "PIMEC works to enhance the competitiveness and innovation of companies, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the ALBA Synchrotron for the development of new products and the optimization of industrial processes". In addition, the president of PIMEC pointed out that "it is essential to enhance this joint work so that SMEs have access to the necessary resources to grow and adapt to economic and business challenges".

The visit highlighted ALBA's ongoing initiatives to open its doors to industry and provide tailored support to companies interested in using advanced analytical techniques to improve their products and processes, as well as different ongoing programs that facilitate the access to ALBA's techniques.

"ALBA is a unique research and innovation tool also at the service of SMEs", said Caterina Biscari, director of the ALBA Synchrotron. "Through collaboration with organizations like PIMEC, we aim to bring cutting-edge science closer to industry".