IGFAE presents its new headquarters

The Galician Institute of High Energy Physics (IGFAE), a mixed USC centre, a member of the CIGUS Network and endorsed by the Galician Autonomous Government with its scientific excellence seal, will have a headquarters in line with its significance and intended as a centre for “attracting talent” with spaces “tailored to its needs”, as USC Vice-Chancellor Antonio López explained during the presentation of a project endowed with just under five million euros, part of an agreement between the Galician Regional Ministry of Culture, Education, Vocational Training and Universities and the region’s three universities in order to improve their research infrastructures. “This is a major leap forward”, stated Carlos Salgado, IGFAE’s Director, before going on to state that “it will enable us to achieve increasingly ambitious goals and visibilise the institute within the university and in Galicia in general, raising awareness among the Galician people that the region is home to a leading international centre in particle physics”.

In turn, Regional Minister Román Rodríguez referred to the IGFAE as “a centre that epitomises the standard of research in our community, spearheading the field of high energy physics, particle and nuclear physics, and that hosts members that have received some of the most prestigious grants in the sector, such as Starting Grant and Advanced Grant”. He went on to highlight that the standard and volume of research conducted at the centre requires the provision of “renewed and extended facilities to continue supporting and driving the institute’s lines of research”.

The project presented this Monday at the IGFAE facilities is a combined action that includes renovating and re-equipping the existing building and the construction of a new space on the ground floor, providing the IGFAE Centre, part of the CIGUS Network, with new spaces dedicated to laboratories and research. The centre will have a total surface area of 48,880.15 m², including the new 348.5 m² extension.