Researchers from the Cockcroft Institute joined partners from across Europe at CERN for the launch of EPITA, a new project that aims to turn some of the most promising ideas in accelerator science into working technologies.
EPITA, which stands for Enabling Partnerships for Innovation & Accelerator Technology Advancement, officially began with a two-day kick-off meeting at CERN on 12 and 13 May 2026. The project brings together a large European consortium of research organizations, universities and industrial partners to develop new technologies that could improve the performance, sustainability and impact of particle accelerators.
Particle accelerators are best known for their role in fundamental physics, including experiments at CERN, but they are also essential tools in many areas of modern life. They underpin research in materials science, chemistry and biology, support the development of new medicines and medical treatments, and play a growing role in environmental and industrial applications.
Over the next four years, EPITA will support the development of 22 prototype technologies across three broad areas: accelerating systems, magnets and beamlines, and frontier technologies. These will include advances in conventional, superconducting and laser-driven acceleration, new approaches to high-temperature superconducting and permanent magnets, and the development and processing of advanced materials for accelerator applications.
The Cockcroft Institute, through the QUASAR Group from the University of Liverpool will play a leading role in ensuring that these technical advances are connected to real-world needs. Specially, they lead EPITA Work Package 3, “Reinforcing Co-creation with Industry”, which will help the consortium identify promising research outputs early, support knowledge and technology transfer, and build stronger links between accelerator laboratories, universities, industry and end users.
As part of this work, CI experts will help develop an innovation and knowledge-transfer framework for the project. This includes tools to track potentially exploitable results, support intellectual property planning, engage technology transfer offices and industry partners, and provide training for researchers on topics such as market validation, business modelling, IP strategy and early-stage funding.
Prof Carsten P Welsch presented the WP3 plans at the CERN kick-off meeting. He said: “EPITA’s ambition is to make sure that promising accelerator ideas do not remain only in the laboratory. By identifying exploitable results early, engaging technology transfer offices, industry and potential users, and training researchers to think about markets and impact, we can help turn cutting-edge accelerator R&D into technologies that benefit science, healthcare, the environment and society.”
The CI-led work package will also contribute to the Accelerator Industry Permanent Forum (AIPF), support end-user-informed roadmaps for areas such as healthcare and environmental applications, and explore forward-looking strategies for disruptive accelerator technologies.
The project’s strong focus on co-creation with industry reflects a wider shift in accelerator science. As accelerator technologies become increasingly important beyond particle physics, collaboration between research infrastructures and industrial partners will be essential for bringing new ideas closer to practical use.
In addition, the project’s WP4 on “Superconducting TF for SRF cavities” is led by Dr. Oleg Malyshev from CI partner ASTeC and is one of the largest work packages in EPITA. It brings together about 60 researchers and engineers from 15 research laboratories and 5 industrial partners located in 7 countries.
The main aim of WP4 is to develop and validate a novel class of superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities made using thin-film (TF) coatings and test its operation in a horizontal cryostat and conduction cooled by compact cryocoolers.
CI partners designed and recently built a low power facility (EXP-200) located in the CI bunker shown in the following figure. It uses a cryocooler and conduction cooling to efficiently reduce the temperature of a cavity. High power tests can be done at the existing EXP-100 facility.
EPITA is funded through the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research Infrastructures program. With a total budget of more than €21 million, including €10 million in EU funding and matching contributions from project partners, it aims to strengthen Europe’s leadership in accelerator technology while supporting a more resilient and sustainable innovation ecosystem.
The CERN kick-off meeting gave partners the opportunity to agree the project’s structure, review its main technical challenges and set out the work plan for the coming years.
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