INFN

What INFN does

INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare) is Italy's public national research institute dedicated to theoretical and experimental research in subnuclear, nuclear, and astroparticle physics, operating under the supervision of the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR/MUR). It runs a distributed physical footprint of four National Laboratories (Frascati, Gran Sasso, Legnaro, and Laboratori Nazionali del Sud in Catania), roughly twenty Sezioni plus linked research groups distributed across Italian university cities, three national centers (GSSI, TIFPA, and the CNAF computing/networking facility), and the central administration in Frascati (Rome). Its core technology portfolio spans particle accelerators (including plasma and conventional linear/circular machines), specialized particle detectors (scintillators, silicon detectors, imaging systems), the deep-sea KM3NeT neutrino telescope, gravitational-wave infrastructure, supercomputing/data pipelines via CNAF, and early-stage quantum computing research. INFN leads or co-leads flagship European projects including the EuPRAXIA plasma accelerator infrastructure (consortium of 50+ institutes), contributes to CERN's LHC and the FCC study, the KM3NeT neutrino telescope, dark-matter experiments (XENONnT, DARKSIDE-20k), and is anchoring Italy's bid for the Einstein Telescope.

The institute is funded through ordinary government appropriations (Fondo Ordinario per gli Enti di Ricerca) and project-specific allocations including PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) and EU framework programme grants. Major earmarked budget items include 108 million EUR from MUR for 2019-2031 for advanced accelerator development and 10 million EUR from Lazio Region via FESR 2021-2027 for the EuPRAXIA ARIA line at Frascati. INFN does not sell commercial products or services. Instead, it generates derivative economic value through technology transfer to Italian companies (especially SMEs, in advanced-technology supply chains and innovation partnerships), applied research collaborations such as the agreement with Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital for oncological radiopharmaceuticals, and a sizeable science-communication and education portfolio (Lab2Go, ScienzaPerTutti, OCRA, Premio ASIMOV, HOP Hands-On Physics, Art&Science Across Italy, GENERA) that reaches over 12,000 secondary-school students, 600+ teachers, and the Italian general public annually.

INFN's external relationships span major strategic partnerships with CERN (core LHC and education collaborations), the Paul Scherrer Institute (Italy-Switzerland cooperation, November 2024), the ELI Beamlines facility (second EuPRAXIA site, April 2025), the Italian National Research Council CNR (GENERA network), universities including Sapienza, Cagliari, and Sassari, and the Autonomous Region of Sardinia (Einstein Telescope candidacy). Leadership is exercised by President Antonio Zoccoli and Vice President Sandra Malvezzi (elected February 2025). Its customer-facing activity outside research is principally directed at schools, students, teachers, Italian SMEs in technology transfer, the general public, and media — in that order of priority per internal segmentation. International research collaboration (CERN, ESA, and global detector consortia) constitutes the institute's primary external research interface.

Name

INFN

Legal name

Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare

Website

https://infn.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

INFN is Italy's publicly funded national research institute for nuclear, subnuclear, and astroparticle physics, operating four national laboratories and over twenty research sections under MIUR supervision. It conducts fundamental physics research, develops accelerators and detectors, and runs science-education and technology-transfer programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Research Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with National Laboratories/Big Science Facilities (EDAHAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Science, Technology & Space Cooperation Organizations (BPADAAAK), Technical Universities with Computing, Data & AI Focus (EDAHAEAK), Scientific & Laboratory Reference (Chemistry, Biology, Physics; Methods & Protocols) (EDAGAGAG)

Keywords

• Nuclear physics research
• Particle physics research
• Astroparticle physics research
• Research infrastructure services
• Science education outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Roma

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices27 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: Public funding from the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR/MIUR) for fundamental research activities in nuclear and particle physics. The institute receives ordinary funding (Fondo Ordinario per gli Enti di Ricerca) and project-specific funding through programs like PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan).

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

INFN is Italy's public national research institute conducting theoretical and experimental research in subnuclear, nuclear, and astroparticle physics. It operates four National Laboratories and a network of research sections across Italian universities, building and maintaining particle accelerators, particle detectors, deep-sea neutrino telescopes (KM3NeT), supercomputing infrastructure (CNAF), and quantum computing capabilities. In parallel it delivers a portfolio of science-education and outreach programs (Lab2Go, ScienzaPerTutti, Asimmetrie, OCRA, Premio ASIMOV, GENERA, summer camps) and pursues technology-transfer partnerships with Italian companies.

Product overview

INFN operates as Italy's national research institute for nuclear and particle physics, offering a portfolio of science communication and educational outreach products rather than commercial products. The main offerings include: Lab2Go (high school physics laboratory education program), ScienzaPerTutti (science communication web portal with interactive tools like the Bang! quiz game), Asimmetrie (semiannual institutional magazine), OCRA (cosmic ray outreach activities), Premio ASIMOV (science writing award for students), GENERA (gender equality network), and various summer camps and school programs. These products serve educational missions including science popularization, teacher training, student engagement, and public outreach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ScienzaPerTutti: INFN science communication portal for students and science enthusiasts
• Asimmetrie
• Collisioni
• Premio ASIMOV
• Lab2Go
• OCRA - Outreach Cosmic Ray Activities

Products and services

• Asimmetrie (institutional magazine)
• ScienzaPerTutti (SxT)
• Lab2Go
• OCRA - Outreach Cosmic Ray Activities
• Premio ASIMOV
• INFN STEAM Summer Camp
• GENERA Network
• Art&Science Across Italy
• HOP - Hands-On Physics

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Lazio RegioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2024Four-year collaboration agreement with co-financing up to 10 million euros from FESR 2021-2027 Program for EuPRAXIA ARIA (Advanced Radiation source for Interactions Analysis) line development.
• Autonomous Region of SardiniamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2024Inter-agency agreement for coordination and promotion of initiatives supporting the Sos Enattos mining site candidacy to host the Einstein Telescope. Agreement includes promotion, scientific education, transport strengthening, and international school initiatives.
• University of CagliarimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the inter-agency agreement for Einstein Telescope Sos Enattos candidacy promotion in Sardinia.
• University of SassarimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the inter-agency agreement for Einstein Telescope Sos Enattos candidacy promotion in Sardinia.
• INAF (National Institute for Astrophysics)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the inter-agency agreement for Einstein Telescope Sos Enattos candidacy promotion.
• INGV (National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the inter-agency agreement for Einstein Telescope Sos Enattos candidacy promotion.
• EuPRAXIA International Consortium (50+ European institutes)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational consortium of over 50 European research institutes for the European Plasma Research Accelerator with Excellence In Applications project. INFN coordinates all phases of preparation and realization.
• Sapienza University of RomemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner in the Lab2Go project for high schools, created in 2015 to bring students closer to experimental science.
• CNR (National Research Council)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the GENERA European network for gender equality in physics research, including the school competition 'Donne e ricerca in fisica: opportunita, ostacoli e sfide'.
• ELI BeamlinesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelected as second site for the laser-driven accelerator in the EuPRAXIA distributed infrastructure project (announced April 2025).
• CERNcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration on particle physics experiments including LHC, and educational initiatives such as the HOP Hands-On Physics project.
• Fondazione AgnelliminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the HOP Hands-On Physics project for middle schools alongside INFN and CERN.
• PSI (Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNovember 2024 collaboration agreement between INFN and PSI for Italy-Switzerland scientific cooperation.
• Bambino Gesu Pediatric HospitalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for research and development of oncological radiopharmaceuticals.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CERN: European particle physics laboratory and INFN's principal international partner. Both operate large-scale accelerator and detector infrastructure, share research staff on LHC experiments, and co-deliver educational programs such as HOP Hands-On Physics.
• Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC): UK body operating Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and other large-scale physics facilities. Comparable scope in particle physics, accelerators, and space instrumentation, and a peer national laboratory within the European research ecosystem.
• DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron): Germany's national particle and photon science laboratory. Comparable mandate in accelerator R&D, astroparticle physics, and photon science, with parallel international collaboration structures and EUPRAXIA-style consortium leadership.
• Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI): Switzerland's national laboratory for particle physics, neutron/muon sources, and medical applications. INFN signed a Nov 2024 collaboration agreement with PSI, formalizing an already closely aligned research agenda in accelerators and applied physics.
• IRFU / CEA Saclay: France's Fundamental Research Institute at CEA, focused on nuclear, particle, and astroparticle physics. Operates similar national-laboratory infrastructure and collaborates with INFN on CERN experiments and EU-funded accelerator projects.

Regional players

• CNR (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche): Italy's largest public research organization. Co-promotes INFN's GENERA gender-equality network and represents a peer national research entity under MUR with overlapping applied-research mandates.
• INAF (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica): Italian national institute for astrophysics and a domestic peer within MUR's research ecosystem. Co-signatory on the Einstein Telescope Sos Enattos candidacy and shares overlapping astroparticle and multimessenger astronomy mandates with INFN.

Broad incumbents

• Fermilab: US national accelerator laboratory and historic particle physics leader (top quark, neutrino physics). Closest US analog to INFN's accelerator and neutrino programs, including DUNE/LBNF collaborations.
• Brookhaven National Laboratory: US Department of Energy national laboratory with deep capabilities in nuclear and particle physics (RHIC, EIC). A comparable big-science national lab operating at larger scale, relevant as a global counterpart and competitor for talent and projects.

Emerging players

• Max Planck Institute for Physics: Lead institute within Germany's Max Planck Society for particle and astroparticle physics. Comparable fundamental-research focus and CERN collaboration footprint, with strong talent overlap in theoretical and experimental physics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/INFN_
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/comunicazioneINFN
• Facebookfacebook.com/IstitutoFisicaNucleare
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/infn
• Instagraminstagram.com/infn_insights

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries27 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about INFN