IGFAE inaugurates its new headquarters

The Galician Institute of High Energy Physics (IGFAE), a joint centre of the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and the Galician Government, and a member of the CIGUS network, officially inaugurated its new headquarters this Wednesday. The new facility aspires to establish Galicia as a key player in 21st-century physics, while reinforcing the region’s already significant contribution to cutting-edge international experiments in the field.

With over 5,000 square metres of floor space, the upgraded facilities represent an investment of more than five million euros from the Galician Government. The renovation and expansion works were carried out on the lower levels of the Monte da Condesa building, located on USC’s South Campus in Santiago de Compostela.

At the opening ceremony, IGFAE director Carlos Salgado underlined the importance of providing a space that reflects the Institute’s scientific achievements and potential. He described the new headquarters as a “historic milestone for science in Galicia”, which will equip the centre to meet emerging scientific challenges and to contribute meaningfully to the major physics projects expected to define the coming decades.

Major challenges for physics in the decades ahead

The international physics community is entering a period of significant change. Pivotal decisions will soon be made on landmark initiatives such as the next particle accelerator at CERN (the European Organisation for Nuclear Research), and the construction of the Einstein Telescope, designed to explore gravitational waves. Meanwhile, quantum science and technology are becoming strategic priorities for research globally — a trend reflected in Galicia through institutions such as the Galician Supercomputing Centre (CESGA) and IGFAE itself.

Against this backdrop, IGFAE researchers currently hold leading roles in major international collaborations including the LHCb experiment at CERN, the Pierre Auger Observatory, and the LIGO collaboration. With the capabilities and infrastructure enabled by the new headquarters, the centre is now better placed to achieve a qualitative leap in global visibility and impact across these and other high-profile initiatives.

The new premises will house seven specialised laboratories for diverse technological developments, including a 120 m² cleanroom, a dedicated space for the planned installation of a quantum simulator (in collaboration with CESGA), and workshops for micromachining, metrology, and scintillator development.

Since its first accreditation as a María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence — the first Galician research centre to receive this distinction — in 2017, IGFAE has doubled its staff, growing from around 70 to approximately 140 members. The new facilities are designed to accommodate this growth and to foster international collaboration, encouraging visits and research stays by scientists at various career stages from around the world.