Institut de Física d’Altes Energies

What Institut de Física d’Altes Energies does

IFAE (Institut de Física d'Altes Energies) is a public research consortium founded in 1991 and jointly governed by the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), operating from the UAB campus in Bellaterra, Barcelona. It conducts fundamental experimental and theoretical physics research across particle physics (ATLAS, T2K, Hyper-Kamiokande), high-energy astrophysics (MAGIC, CTA), observational cosmology (DES, DESI, Euclid, LSST/Rubin), and gravitational waves (Virgo, Einstein Telescope, LIGO), and applies its detector expertise to quantum computing and medical imaging. The institute also operates the Port d'Informació Científica (PIC), a Tier-1 LHC data center jointly managed with CIEMAT.

Its core technical capabilities include proprietary pixel detectors for high-energy physics, custom telescope cameras (MAGIC, PAUCam, GFA cameras for DESI), superconducting quantum circuits, radiation detectors for medical imaging, and a recently inaugurated Thermal Vacuum Chamber for space-technology qualification. As of December 2024, IFAE had 133 direct staff plus 22 affiliated researchers, supported by 74 active grant-funded projects (27 European including 3 ERC, 34 national, 13 Next Generation). The institute has produced three spin-offs: Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech, Deep Detection (PhotonAi® DS X-ray cameras), and Baretek.

IFAE is funded primarily through a mix of structural appropriations from its consortium parents (Generalitat de Catalunya and UAB), competitive public grants (Severo Ochoa Excellence accreditation CEX2024-001441-S for 2025–2028, Horizon Europe, Next Generation EU, ERC), and modest commercial revenue from technology transfer, microelectronic/engineering services for industry, and PIC data services. It is a not-for-profit public consortium rather than a commercial entity; revenue, pricing, and customer concentration are all structurally tied to public funding cycles and the institute's leadership positions in major international scientific collaborations.

Name

Institut de Física d’Altes Energies

Legal name

INSTITUT DE FÍSICA D'ALTES ENERGIES (IFAE)

Website

https://ifae.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

IFAE is a Barcelona-based public research consortium conducting fundamental physics research in particle physics, astrophysics, cosmology, gravitational waves, and quantum computing. It serves the international scientific community through leadership in 13 major physics collaborations and operates the PIC Tier-1 data center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Space Research and Technology (927110)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), X-Ray Apparatus & Tubes & Related Irradiation Apparatus (3844), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Hybrid Quantum-Classical Computing & Systems Integration Research (HDAGAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Spacecraft Integration, Assembly & Test (IAT) (IMABACAK)

Keywords

• Fundamental physics research
• Particle physics detectors
• High-energy astrophysics
• Quantum computing hardware
• Medical imaging instrumentation

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Government Institutional Funding: Core operational funding from Generalitat de Catalunya and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona as consortium members. Additional structural funding through CERCA centers program.
2. Research Grants and Projects: European Funding (27 projects including 3 ERC projects), National Funding (34 projects/fellowships), Next Generation Funding (13 projects). Personnel costs 2024: 4,697,150.43 EUR in salaries, 1,368,834.80 EUR in social charges.
3. Technology Transfer and Services: Revenue from technology licensing, spin-off companies (Qilimanjaro, Baretek, Deep Detection), and services including microelectronics and engineering services for industry, PIC data services, and thermal vacuum testing services.
4. Severo Ochoa Excellence Program: Accredited excellence program funding from Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN/AEI), grant CEX2024-001441-S (2025-2028)

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IFAE conducts fundamental experimental and theoretical physics research across high-energy particle physics, astrophysics, cosmology, quantum computing technologies, and medical imaging. It provides microelectronic and engineering services through its Technical Division, operates the Port d'Informació Científica (PIC) Tier-1 data center jointly with CIEMAT, and runs specialized testing facilities including a Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVAC) for space technologies. Technology developed in-house is transferred via three spin-off companies (Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech, Deep Detection, Baretek).

Product overview

IFAE is a public research consortium that conducts fundamental physics research and technology development. Its primary offerings include research collaboration opportunities, microelectronic and engineering services through its Technical Division, and technology transfer via its Portfolio of Technologies. The institute has three spin-off companies commercializing its innovations: Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech (superconducting quantum computing hardware), Deep Detection (PhotonAi® DS X-ray cameras for industrial inspection), and Baretek. IFAE also operates the Port d'Informació Científica (PIC), a Tier-1 data center for the Spanish LHC computing grid.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IFAE Severo Ochoa Excellence Program: Excellence program supporting research, training, outreach, and technology transfer at IFAE, funded by Severo Ochoa accreditation CEX2024-001441-S
• Qilimanjaro Quantum Tech
• Deep Detection
• Port d'Informació Científica (PIC)

Products and services

• Microelectronic and Engineering Services Technical services delivered through IFAE's Technical Division, including chip packaging and assembly, clean rooms, shielded room, electronics labs, optical lab, and a 300 m2 mechanical workshop, offered to industry and research partners.
• Port d'Informació Científica (PIC) Data Center Services Spanish LHC Tier-1 data center jointly operated with CIEMAT, providing data processing, disk storage, tape storage, and project maintenance services to the Spanish and international scientific community through the Spanish Supercomputing Network.
• Thermal Vacuum Chamber (TVAC) Testing Services Facility for testing satellites and space technologies under vacuum and thermal conditions representative of low-Earth orbit, achieving residual pressure of 10^-6 mbar and temperatures between -80°C and +100°C. Joint project of IEEC and IFAE.
• Master's Program in High Energy Physics, Astrophysics and Cosmology Postgraduate educational program offered through IFAE's University Institute status attached to UAB, providing advanced training in fundamental physics to graduate students.
• PhD and Postdoctoral Fellowships Program Fellowship programs supporting PhD students and postdoctoral researchers in fundamental physics research, including Severo Ochoa Excellence PhD Fellowships and Post-Doctoral Positions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Third Severo Ochoa Excellence accreditation (2025-2028) - CEX2024-001441-S
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Port d'Informació Científica (PIC) - Jointly with CIEMATcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPIC is the Spanish LHC TIER-1 Data Center and Singular Scientific and Technical Infrastructure. Jointly operated by IFAE and CIEMAT, it offers data processing, storage, and maintenance services to the Spanish and international scientific community.
• Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFAE has been a member of BIST since 2015. BIST was created to foster interdisciplinary research and share common services among partner institutions including ICN2, ICFO, IBEC, ICIQ, IRB, and CRG.
• ICREA (Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeven ICREA research professors are affiliated with IFAE, including Diego Blas who leads astroparticle physics and cosmology research. Formal collaboration agreement for research personnel.
• Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUAB is the founding consortium partner along with Generalitat de Catalunya. IFAE has University Institute status attached to UAB. Multiple space agreements provide up to 3,908 m2 of facilities. 15 UAB PDI research staff affiliated.
• Qilimanjaro Quantum TechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpin-off company of IFAE, BSC and UB. Manel Martínez from IFAE serves as Project Leader in the Qilimanjaro-GMV consortium. Contributed to deployment of 35-qubit quantum computer at Barcelona Supercomputing Center.
• Deep DetectionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFAE spin-off company developing PhotonAi® DS series X-ray cameras for advanced industrial inspection. Co-funded Medipix Collaboration Meeting.
• Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint project for Thermal Vacuum Chamber facility. IEEC provides funding through CERCA Ginys III programme along with Government of Catalonia support.
• CERCA (Institució dels Centres de Recerca de Catalunya)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFAE recognized as CERCA center since 2015 (ECO/2405/2015), with renewals in 2020 (EMC/971/2020) and 2023 (REU/2220). Subject to periodic external scientific evaluations.
• Tsung-Dao Lee InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional visit in May 2026 to discuss scientific activities and explore future collaborations in areas of shared research interest including particle physics and astrophysics.
• International Experiments (ATLAS, MAGIC, DES, T2K, CTA, DESI, Euclid, LSST/Rubin, Virgo, Einstein Telescope, LIGO, Hyper-Kamiokande)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFAE serves as major partner in 13 international physics experiments with leadership positions including ATLAS Collaboration Board Chair, MAGIC Spokespersons, Einstein Telescope governance roles.
• Platform DalíminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist residency program hosting George Mahashe for two-month residency exploring connections between scientific research, image-making and Indigenous Knowledge Systems.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CERN: European Organization for Nuclear Research, the global flagship for particle physics. IFAE participates in CERN's ATLAS experiment and is structurally tied to the CERN ecosystem as a Spanish contributor; comparable scope is much larger but mission and collaborations overlap directly.
• CIEMAT (Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas): Spain's largest public multidisciplinary research center, energy and environment focus. Joint operator with IFAE of the Port d'Informació Científica (PIC) Tier-1 data center; broader scope but a key structural peer in Spanish public research.

Direct peers

• DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron): German national laboratory for particle physics, photon science, and astroparticle physics. Closest international peer to IFAE by structure: government-funded research center running particle-physics experiments, detector R&D, and astrophysics instrumentation with a comparable headcount range.
• INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare): Italy's national institute for nuclear and particle physics research. Operates a distributed network of research divisions participating in ATLAS, Virgo, and other international collaborations where IFAE also contributes; nearly identical mission, governance, and funding model to IFAE.
• IFIC (Instituto de Física Corpuscular): Spanish joint research center (CSIC + University of Valencia) for particle, astroparticle, and nuclear physics. The most direct Spanish counterpart to IFAE; shares overlapping collaborations (ATLAS, future Einstein Telescope ecosystem) and similar consortium structure.
• Fermilab (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory): US Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy physics, including collaborations with IFAE on neutrino experiments (T2K) and broader particle physics research. Comparable scope in detector R&D and large-scale physics collaborations.
• Max Planck Institute for Physics: German research institute conducting theoretical and experimental particle physics, astrophysics, and cosmology. Comparable size, mission, and academic orientation; collaborates on many of the same global experiments where IFAE has leadership.
• LIGO Laboratory (Caltech): Operates the gravitational-wave detectors that, with Virgo, constitute the global detection network. IFAE joined the LIGO Scientific Collaboration in 2024 and contributes instrumentation (Virgo baffles, AION quantum-sensor participation), making it a tightly linked peer in gravitational-wave instrumentation R&D.
• ICCUB (Institut de Ciències del Cosmos, Universitat de Barcelona): Catalan cosmology and astrophysics research institute with overlapping scientific scope to IFAE's cosmology group. Strong geographic and academic overlap; potential partner or competitor for talent and Catalan-government research funding.

Others

• BIST (Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology): Consortium of seven Catalan research centers including IFAE. Provides shared services and a multi-disciplinary umbrella (ICFO, ICN2, IRB Barcelona, etc.); relevant as an ecosystem peer rather than a direct science competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_IFAE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ifae

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institut de Física d’Altes Energies