- Project acronym: 4U-PI
- Project name:
ULTRAFAST, ULTRASHORT, ULTRAHIGH-PEAK-FLUX, AND ULTRAHIGH-DOSE-RATE PARTICLE SOURCES DRIVEN BY HIGH-INTENSITY LASERS - Duration: 1 September 2026 – 31 August 2030 (48 months)
- Project number: 101290656
4U-PI project strengthens Europe’s leadership in laser–plasma acceleration and accelerates its translation into biomedical and industrial applications. 4U-PI develops and exploits ultrashort, ultrahigh-dose-rate ion and neutron bunches as novel radiation tools for users, establishing new benchmarks in temporal precision and particle flux.
The project pioneers high-repetition-rate ion sources, hybrid acceleration schemes, compact beam transport, and advanced diagnostics, advancing the field towards robust, user-ready platforms. It also implements the biomedical roadmap outlined by Hideghety et al. (EPJP, 2025), enabling breakthrough research in ultrafast radiation biology, FLASH radiotherapy, and isotope production. These activities are supported by standardized dosimetry and radiobiology protocols to ensure reliable and comparable results.
The consortium brings together 12 partners from six countries, with leading European research infrastructures—including ELI ERIC at its ELI Beamlines and ELI ALPS facilities, ELI-NP, and FAIR—alongside major national infrastructures such as GSI, CLF-UKRI, HZDR, and ATOMKI. Together, they provide the scientific and technological backbone for high-impact user experiments. Clinical, industrial, and cross-sector partners (PTC, MIRROTRON, Focused Energy, and EIT Manufacturing) support the translation of project results into medicine, industry, and emerging technologies. Multimodal imaging using laser-driven sources will further extend the project’s potential to industrial and security applications, while AI/ML-enabled diagnostics will enhance reproducibility and pave the way towards increasingly autonomous operation.
Supported by nine stakeholders, 4U-PI further extends its reach across clinical, industrial, and innovation communities. By aligning technological development with biomedical roadmaps, the project aims to validate key exploitable results ranging from ultrafast beamlines and advanced imaging technologies to AI-enabled solutions. Ultimately, 4U-PI has the potential to accelerate clinical translation, strengthen European industrial competitiveness, and reinforce Europe’s strategic autonomy in ultrafast science and innovation.
The Extreme Light Infrastructure is the world's largest and most advanced high-power laser infrastructure and a global technology and innovation leader in high-power, high-intensity, and short-pulsed laser systems.
The international laser user facility ELI develops and operates some of the most intense lasers in the world. ELI’s lasers produce ultra-short pulses of high energy photons, electrons, protons, neutrons.
The Czech Republic hosts the ELI ERIC statutory seat in Dolní Břežany, in the South of Prague, at the ELI Beamlines Facility. A second Facility, ELI ALPS, is hosted by Hungary in Szeged. The Czech Republic and Hungary are joined by Italy and Lithuania as Founding Members, Bulgaria transitioned to be a full Member as of 1 January 2025, while Germany holds an Observer status. A third ELI Facility is operating in Romania which was accepted as a Founding Observer in ELI ERIC from 1 January 2024. Most recently, Montenegro, Slovakia and Poland joined ELI ERIC as Observers in March and June 2026.
