Green light for IMPACT: The upgrade at the proton accelerator facility at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI planned for the coming years will be implemented. Funding for this two-part enhancement was assured within the framework of the ERI Dispatch 2025-2028.
Financing of the Swiss Dispatch on promotion of Education, Research, and Innovation (ERI) in the years 2025 through 2028 was approved in mid-December 2024 in the Swiss Parliament. This means the budget that the ETH Domain is to receive for the coming years has been approved. This budget includes 50 million Swiss francs with which the ETH Council will co-finance the IMPACT project from central funds in the period 2025-2028. The upgrade to the user facilities associated with the proton accelerator at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI can thus be realised.
IMPACT is a joint project of PSI, the University of Zurich, and the University Hospital of Zurich. It comprises two significant upgrades to PSI’s research facilities:
First, under the name HIMB, two beamlines for experiments with muons will be significantly improved. Muons are secondary particles generated by the protons. HIMB will increase by a factor of 100 the number of muons used for research purposes, for example in physics and materials science.
Second, a new facility called TATTOOS will be built, where important radionuclides can be produced. Radionuclides are used to produce radiopharmaceuticals, which in turn are used to diagnose and treat cancer.
“We are very pleased that funding for IMPACT has been approved as part of the ERI dispatch,” says PSI Director Christian Rüegg. “We are proud and grateful that we can continue to invest in the future. Education and research secure the prosperity and independence of Switzerland,” continues Rüegg. “Especially in financially difficult times, we therefore need strong research and innovation and strategic, forward-looking investments. IMPACT is an important step for the future of materials research, medicine and particle physics.”
Read more on the PSI website
Image: PSI Director Christian Rüegg at the cover of the cyclotron, which represents the third acceleration stage for the proton beam at PSI, which is unique worldwide.
Credit: © Scanderbeg Sauer Photography