The budget approved by the Spanish Government and the Generalitat de Catalunya for the next 14 years is €926.2 million, funded 50% by each government, and including investments, operations and personnel. €170 million (18%) are devoted entirely to the ALBA II upgrade project. This new investment takes advantage of almost all of the previous investment in ALBA and increases its economic and societal return. The cost-benefit analysis has shown that each euro invested in ALBA II generates an annual social return of 1.5 euros.
The event has been presided over by the President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Salvador Illa; the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant; the Catalan Minister for Research and Universities, Núria Montserrat; the Secretary of State of Science, Innovation and Universities, Juan Cruz Cigudosa; and the Director of the ALBA Synchrotron, Caterina Biscari. There were also attending the Delegate of the Spanish government in Catalonia, Carlos Prieto, the Mayor of Cerdanyola del Vallès, Carlos Cordon, and the Rector of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Javier Lafuente.
The event was streamed live and can be rewatched via this link.
Before signing the agreement, the delegation made a tour around ALBA. The director, Caterina Biscari, guided the group through the upcoming changes under the ALBA II project, highlighting its impact on the resolution, speed, and detection capabilities of synchrotron light-based experiments.
Read more on ALBA website