The Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Applications (TIFPA) opened its virtual doors in January at the University of Trento, in northern Italy. Under the umbrella of Italy’s National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), researchers at three existing local research structures will share equipment and develop joint projects. The physics and engineering departments at the University of Trento, the Trento Provincial Agency for Proton Therapy, and the Bruno Kessler Foundation (FBK)—a multidisciplinary applied research institute—make up the TIFPA team.
The virtual institute’s research palette is wide, from theoretical astrophysics to technology-driven research in sensors, space, supercomputing, and applications of nuclear methods in medicine. “There are several examples that show the strength of the chain from fundamental research to technology development to technology transfer,” says physicist Roberto Battiston, who moved to the University of Trento for TIFPA and counts himself its first hire. He points to one such example: commercialization of...
