IRSOL reconfirmed as research infrastructure of national relevance

Just in the run-up to the Christmas holidays, Istituto ricerche solari Aldo e Cele Daccò (IRSOL) in Locarno received some excellent news: the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research  (EAER), after a thorough evaluation, confirmed IRSOL's status as a research infrastructure of national importance, which it has held since 2013. Accordingly, the (EAER) has granted IRSOL, now affiliated with Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), a grant of CHF 1 million to be spread over the next four years.

EAER's decision is based on the recommendation of the Swiss Science Council (SSC), the Federal Council's advisory body for matters concerning science, higher education, research and innovation policy, which favourably assessed IRSOL's achievements in previous years and its plans for the next funding period.

The financial support, already granted in previous years, will enable the Institute to continue its studies in the field of solar physics with both theoretical and experimental research groups and state-of-the-art observation instruments, such as the ZIMPOL spectropolarimeter. The IRSOL's object of research is the Sun's magnetic field: studying, understanding, simulating and observing solar magnetism will make it possible to improve the possibilities of forecasting space weather and geomagnetic storms. These are potentially very damaging phenomena for technology, on which all human civilisation is now critically dependent and whose danger is unfortunately often underestimated.

Over the years, under the leadership of Dr Michele Bianda and currently Prof. Dr Svetlana Berdyugina, IRSOL has established itself as a prestigious research centre on an international level. It has helped raise awareness of the Locarno region, making it known not only for its appealing sunny climate for tourists but also for its contributions to astrophysics.