Romania welcomes world-class physics project
A scheme to build a state-of-the-art facility for research in the field of nuclear physics aims to benefit the wider European scientific community and provide a much needed shot in the arm for the Romanian R&D system. 'Extreme Light Infrastructure' (ELI) is a pan-European research project which is hosted in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. Investment from the European Regional Development Fund is being used to help build a major R&D infrastructure in Romania called ELI-NP.
Phase 1 of the ELI-NP project should be completed in 2015. It will provide a variety of new high-quality, energy efficient buildings, namely: a building to house the laser technologies; a gamma source and experiments building; a structure for laboratories; and a guest house, office block and cafeteria.
Phase 1 will also deliver a 10PW laser arm. A second laser arm will be commissioned at the end of phase 2 – a move which will dramatically increase access time for researchers. When the building work is complete, the ELI-NP facility will be managed directly by the Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN–HH). Following implementation, the scheme is expected to create more than 250 jobs.