- 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 will advance Europe’s leadership in laser–plasma acceleration and its translation to biomedical and industrial impact. 4U-PI will develop and exploit ultrashort, ultrahigh-dose-rate ion and neutron bunches as novel radiation tools for users, setting new benchmarks in temporal precision and particle flux.
By building on the plasma accelerator roadmap by Albert et al. (NJP 2021), 4U-PI will pioneer high- repetition-rate ion sources, hybrid acceleration schemes, compact beam transport, and advanced diagnostics, pushing the field toward user-ready platforms.
In addition, it implements the biomedical roadmap by Hideghety et al. (EPJP 2025) by enabling breakthrough studies in ultrafast radiation biology, FLASH and microbeam therapy, and isotope production, supported by standardized dosimetry and radiobiology protocols.
The consortium unites 12 partners from 6 countries led by Europe’s flagship infrastructures (ELI ERIC (Beamlines, ALPS), ELI-NP, and FAIR)—and large national infrastructures (GSI, CLF-UKRI, HZDR, ATOMKI) as the backbone for high-impact user experiments. Clinical, industrial and cross sectoral partners (PTC, MIRROTRON, Focused Energy, EIT Manufacturing) ensure translation into medicine, industry, and technology. Multi-modal imaging with laser-driven sources will extend the impact to industry and security applications, while AI/ML-enabled diagnostics will ensure reproducibility and open path to autonomous operation.
Supported by 9 stakeholders 4U-PI is extending impact to clinics, industry, and innovation. Through this dual alignment with technological&biomedical roadmaps, 4U-PI will validate key exploitable results ranging from ultrafast beamlines to imaging and AI solutions.
The outcomes will accelerate clinical translation, foster industrial competitiveness, and reinforce Europe’s strategic autonomy in ultrafast science&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.
