Research infrastructures International cooperation

Accompanying measures: a key to successful participation in research infrastructures

Switzerland is a key player in international research infrastructures. To reinforce Switzerland's position, the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) has adopted targeted accompanying measures that enable Swiss participation in technological innovation and multidisciplinary cooperation. The resulting developments pave the way for practical applications far beyond the realm of science.

14.01.2025
Author: Simon Berger
Images taken by a large telescope during the evening eclipse.
The LST-1 prototype on La Palma in the Canary Islands. The large telescope has been in operation since 2018 and has already given rise to a number of high-profile research publications. Photo: Alicia López-Oramas, IAC

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A flexible bottom-up approach allows supported institutions to allocate their funding as needed across various disciplines. They are also able to organise their activities independently within the research community. One institution always takes the lead. SERI has set four priorities for the ERI funding period 2021–2024:

SKACH: Next-generation radio telescope

The Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) will be the world's largest radio telescope. Its precise observations will provide fresh insights into the origins of the universe. Its two antenna networks are currently being built in South Africa and Australia. EPFL coordinates the activities of the Swiss SKACH consortium, which brings researchers and industry together.

Swiss participation is based on three pillars: the involvement of institutions and companies in the construction of the radio telescopes, support for project management in Switzerland and the development of algorithms needed to analyse vast amounts of data. The storage and processing of SKAO data, which is expected to reach up to 600 petabytes per year, will be handled by a distributed network of data centres, including the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) in Lugano.

CTAO-CH: Swiss contribution to gamma-ray astronomy

The Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO) will be the largest ground-based observatory for very high-energy gamma-ray astronomy. The University of Geneva manages the Swiss CTAO-CH consortium and plays a key role in the development of large telescopes and innovative control and data processing systems.

SERI supports three key activities: construction of telescopes in La Palma (in the Canary Islands) and in the Atacama Desert in Chile, development of a control system for the telescopes together with data processing and storage capabilities to ensure that Swiss researchers gain access to data.

CSCS: Tomorrow’s research data centre

The CSCS in Lugano acts as a computing hub for projects such as SKAO and CTAO. It stores and analyses huge amounts of data produced by these observatories and provides tools for scientific research.

SERI funding contributes to the creation of one of four external data centres for the CTAO and enables Swiss participation in the SKAO network for regional computing centres.

CHART: Innovation of particle acceleration technologies

‘Swiss Accelerator Research and Technology’ (CHART) is a collaborative undertaking that is driving development of technologies for future particle accelerators. Under the auspices of the Paul Scherrer Institute, leading Swiss research facilities and industry partners have pooled their expertise to develop high-field magnets and innovative accelerator concepts that can also be used in medicine, in synchrotron light sources and in industry.

CHART collaboration is well established and includes international partners in such fields as energy and nuclear fusion. These activities make an important contribution to the training of highly qualified engineers, technicians and researchers.

Construction site in the desert with telescopic antennas in the background.
The foundations for an SKAO antenna at the South African antenna site in the Karoo desert. Some of the antennas of the MeerKAT telescope network, which was inaugurated in 2018, are visible in the background. Photo: SKAO/Bruce Boyd
Photos of a server park in violet light.
The storage cabinets of the ‘Alps’ supercomputer at the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS) in Lugano. This supercomputer processes and analyses some of the data from the SKAO and CTAO observatories. Photo: CSCS
A high-field magnet made of copper cables and coils.
A high-field magnet produced by CHART collaboration. When cooled down to 12 Kelvin (approx. -261 degrees Celsius), it achieved a field strength of 18.2 Tesla in the bore using innovative high-temperature superconductor technology. This is more than twice as strong as the magnets in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Photo: Paul Scherrer Institute/Markus Fischer

Achievements and outlook

At a forum held in November 2024, SERI presented the results of accompanying measures for the period 2021–2024. The participants highlighted achievements such as multidisciplinary collaboration and technological innovation and discussed ideas on how to continuously improve. Since research infrastructures are planned, built and operated over a period of several decades, participants also considered how the accompanying measures to be taken in 2029 could be transferred into a unified system in order to better reflect this reality.

At the forum, four young researchers from the subsidised institutions offered insights into their work. They each presented one success story made possible thanks to SERI's accompanying measures.

SKAO computing pipeline

Data processing at SKAO is extremely challenging from a technological standpoint because the radio telescopes generate enormous amounts of data. Two signal processors are used to transfer the data from the antennas to a network of regional data centres. Specialised hardware and software are then used to reduce the data flow from 2 petabits per second to 100 gigabits per second. Swiss universities are currently developing scalable algorithms for this process that are not only efficient but also maintain scientific precision.

CTAO large-sized telescope LST-1

The LST-1 is the prototype to be used for a total of four large CTAO telescopes on La Palma, in the Canary Islands. This telescope is a technical masterpiece, consisting of 181 individual mirrors spanning a diameter of 23 metres and a height of 45 metres. It weighs around 100 tonnes and can swivel 180 degrees in just 15 seconds thanks to a powerful 1 MW motor. Swiss researchers helped design the ACADA control system, which provides a single user interface to run all of the telescope's subsystems – from data collection to maintenance.

Processing of astronomical data at CSCS

A single telescope does not produce enough data to warrant using the Alps supercomputer at the CSCS. However, such use is justified for networks of telescopes such as SKAO and CTAO. Even when already processed, the sheer volume of data is so large that further analyses can only be carried out using supercomputers like ‘Alps’. The first data from LST-1 have already been processed at the CSCS. Moreover, the CSCS has developed an interface that allows researchers to conduct their scientific analyses on ‘Alps’.

CHART development of superconducting magnets

For a long time, the development of high-field magnets was limited by slow manufacturing processes and delayed feedback. However, by using minimal viable products, the MagDev team at CHART has managed to reduce lead times for Nb3Sn superconducting magnets and is now working on an industrial manufacturing process. It is also conducting research into high-field magnets made of ReBCO, a new class of ceramic high-temperature superconductors. These materials enable either more cost-effective cooling or higher magnetic field strengths within a more compact design.
Contact
Simon Berger, SERI Scientific Advisor, International Research Organisations Unit simon.berger@sbfi.admin.ch +41 58 462 11 33
Author
Simon Berger

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