What ELI - Extreme Light Infrastructure does

ELI (Extreme Light Infrastructure) ERIC is a European Research Infrastructure Consortium established on 30 April 2021 to jointly manage the world's largest network of high-power, high-intensity laser facilities. Headquartered in Dolní Břežany, Czech Republic, ELI operates three world-class facilities — ELI Beamlines (Czech Republic), ELI-ALPS (Hungary), and ELI-NP (Romania, under final delivery) — serving international academic researchers and industrial R&D users through a peer-reviewed Joint User Programme. The organization has attracted over 1,400 users from 38 countries, with the 8th user call alone drawing 146 proposals, and has facilitated more than 200 experiments across attosecond science, high-field physics, nuclear photonics, and multidisciplinary applications in biology, medicine, and materials science.

The underlying technology comprises petawatt-class laser systems capable of producing ultra-short pulses with durations down to the attosecond scale and peak powers in the tens of petawatts. Flagship systems include the L4 ATON Kilojoule laser at ELI Beamlines, which achieved 5.1 PW peak power (786 J compressed to 154 fs) — the highest pulse energy recorded worldwide at multi-petawatt level — using OPCPA combined with a kilojoule-class liquid-cooled glass amplifier. ELI-ALPS delivers ultrashort light pulses from THz to X-ray frequencies at high repetition rates for attosecond electron dynamics, while ELI-NP combines two coherently added 10 PW lasers (10^23–10^24 W/cm² intensities) with a brilliant gamma beam from Compton back-scattering for nuclear physics research. Secondary sources include high-repetition-rate laser-driven proton, ion, electron, and neutron beams for radiobiology, materials science, and laboratory astrophysics.

ELI is a publicly funded non-profit entity, financed primarily through European Regional Development Funds (historical capital investment exceeding €850 million) and Horizon Europe grants, including a €5 million ELIgnite consortium award to connect the infrastructure with European deep-tech startups and SMEs. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed; access is granted through open peer-reviewed proposal evaluation rather than transactional pricing, with industrial and academic users participating on equal terms. The 2024–2025 transition integrated ELI-ALPS and ELI Beamlines under unified ELI ERIC governance, supported by a new ERP backbone and a growing Member/Observer country base across Central and Eastern Europe.

Name

ELI - Extreme Light Infrastructure

Legal name

Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC

Website

https://eli-laser.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ELI ERIC is a European Research Infrastructure Consortium operating the world's largest high-power, high-intensity laser facilities across Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania. It provides open, peer-reviewed access to petawatt-class lasers for international academic and industrial researchers in physics, biology, and materials science.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Research Infrastructure

NAICS

Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing (334517), Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Optoelectronic Emitters (LED/Laser/VCSEL) (HDAHALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Optics & Laser/Light Engine Components (Lenses, Galvos, Laser Modules, UV Engines) (IMAAAIAC)

Keywords

• High-power laser research
• Attosecond science
• Laser research infrastructure
• Nuclear photonics research
• Laser-driven particle acceleration

Headquarters

HQ city

Dolní Břežany

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. European Research Infrastructure Funding: ELI is funded primarily through European Regional Development Funds exceeding 850 million euros investment. As an ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium), it operates as a non-profit research infrastructure providing access to international academic and industrial researchers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ELI ERIC develops and operates the world's most intense high-power, high-repetition-rate laser systems across three facilities (ELI Beamlines in Czech Republic, ELI-ALPS in Hungary, and ELI-NP in Romania). The organization provides open access to these petawatt-class laser systems and their associated secondary sources (photons, electrons, protons, neutrons, gamma beams) to international academic and industrial researchers through a peer-reviewed Joint User Programme. ELI enables research from fundamental strong-field physics to applied material, biomedical, and engineering problems with attosecond-scale pulse durations and tens of petawatts of peak power.

Product overview

ELI (Extreme Light Infrastructure) ERIC is a European research infrastructure operating as a unified organization managing three world-class high-power laser facilities: ELI Beamlines (Czech Republic), ELI-ALPS (Hungary), and ELI-NP (Romania). With an investment exceeding 850 million euros from European Regional Development Funds, ELI develops and operates some of the most intense lasers in the world, producing ultra-short pulses of high-energy photons, electrons, protons, and neutrons. The infrastructure enables research from fundamental strong-field physics to applied material and engineering problems, with pulse durations down to the attosecond time scale and peak powers in the tens of petawatts. ELI provides open access to international academic and industrial researchers through its Joint User Programme, along with educational programs like the annual ELI Summer School (ELISS).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ELI Beamlines: ELI Beamlines facility located in Dolní Břežany near Prague, Czech Republic, focusing on short-pulse secondary sources of radiation and particles, and multidisciplinary applications in molecular, biomedical and material sciences, physics of dense plasmas, warm dense matter, and laboratory astrophysics.
• ELI-ALPS
• ELI-NP

Products and services

• ELI Beamlines Facility A high-power laser facility located in Dolní Břežany, near Prague, Czech Republic, focusing on the development of short-pulse secondary sources of radiation and particles for multidisciplinary applications in molecular, biomedical, and material sciences, as well as high-field physics experiments with focused intensities of about 10^23 W/cm^2. Operated under the ELI ERIC consortium.
• ELI-ALPS (Attosecond Light Pulse Source) A facility in Szeged, Hungary providing ultrashort light pulses at high repetition rates across the frequency range from THz to X-ray (10^12 to 10^18-10^19 Hz), enabling attosecond-scale observations of electron dynamics in atoms, molecules, plasmas, and solids. Operated under the ELI ERIC consortium.
• ELI-NP (Nuclear Physics) Facility A laser-based nuclear physics facility in Măgurele, Romania featuring a very high intensity laser (coherently added 10 PW lasers achieving 10^23-10^24 W/cm^2) and a brilliant gamma beam generated via Compton back scattering, for nuclear physics experiments and photonuclear reactions. Expected to complement ELI ERIC facilities in the future.
• Joint User Programme An open-access programme providing international academic and industrial researchers with proposal-based access to ELI's laser facilities, beamlines, and experimental capabilities. Proposals are evaluated by international peer-review panels based on scientific excellence. The 8th user call attracted 146 proposals, and the programme has supported over 1,400 users from 38 countries with 200+ experiments implemented.
• ELI Summer School (ELISS) An annual educational programme providing young scientists with a comprehensive overview of generation and application of intense laser pulses and laser-driven particle and radiation sources, featuring lectures, laboratory tours, and networking opportunities. Open to undergraduate, master's, and PhD students as well as early-career researchers.
• ELI User Meeting An annual event showcasing ELI's scientific offerings, engaging with the user community for feedback on scientific and technical developments, and facilitating networking and collaboration among researchers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5.1 PW peak power achieved - highest pulse energy worldwide at multi-petawatt level
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and strategic.

• ELIgnite ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Horizon Europe-funded initiative awarded €5 million to connect Europe's laser and photonics infrastructures with startups, SMEs, industrial innovators, and deep-tech entrepreneurs. ELI leads this consortium to accelerate deep-tech innovation across the European research ecosystem.
• Vilnius UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025New cooperation agreement signed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in research, innovation and advanced technologies between Lithuania and ELI ERIC.
• Multiple European UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025ELI University Day hosted representatives from Bulgaria, Czechia, Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Montenegro, Germany, Italy, and Romania. Partnerships include joint PhD programmes, internship programmes, online courses, and 50+ joint publications. Specific university partners include University of Szeged, Pécs, Debrecen, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Czech Technical University, University of Montenegro, Politecnico di Milano, and collaboration with Candela Foundation in Poland.
• Lawrence Livermore National LaboratorystrategicTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Collaboration with LLNL (USA) for development of multilayer dielectric (MLD) diffraction gratings enabling operation at extremely high energy densities on optical components for L4 ATON laser system.
• National Energetics and EKSPLAstrategicTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025International consortium partners for L4 ATON laser development. National Energetics (USA) and EKSPLA (Lithuania) collaborated with ELI Beamlines team to develop the 5 PW kilojoule laser system.
• Swiss Research InstitutionsstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Swiss-ELI initiatives through Research and Innovation Programme of the Swiss-Hungarian Cooperation Programme II to integrate ELI ALPS into international networks and support Swiss-affiliated researcher participation.
• ELI-NP (Romania)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Third ELI facility under development in Romania focused on nuclear photonics. Expected to complement ELI ERIC facilities (ELI-ALPS and ELI Beamlines) in the future.
• IMPULSE Project PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 202142-month Horizon 2020 project (grant agreement No 871161) supporting ELI's transition to sustainable operations. Involves 14 key European science institutions building user communities and expanding ELI member consortium.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves3 records

Broad incumbents

• SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory: US national laboratory operating large-scale accelerator and photon-science user facilities (e.g., LCLS); comparable as a multi-purpose, peer-reviewed-access 'big science' research infrastructure.
• DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron): German research center operating large light-source and particle physics user facilities with international peer-reviewed access; structurally analogous to ELI as a member-state-funded user infrastructure.
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL): US national laboratory that operates National Ignition Facility and collaborates with ELI on L4 ATON diffraction gratings; a top-tier peer in high-energy-density/petawatt laser capability.
• European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN): Larger-scale European research infrastructure (also an ERIC-like entity) operating world-class particle/physics facilities with shared cross-facility governance, making it the closest institutional analogue to ELI ERIC.

Direct peers

• LULI Laboratory (École Polytechnique / CEA): French high-power laser facility offering user access to multi-kilojoule laser-plasma systems; directly competes with ELI for European high-field physics users.
• Omega Laser Facility (University of Rochester / LLE): US multi-kilojoule UV laser user facility conducting high-energy-density and inertial confinement fusion research; comparable to ELI Beamlines in user-access model and capability class.
• European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF): Pan-European light-source research infrastructure offering peer-reviewed user access to advanced radiation/facilities; directly comparable operating model to ELI's Joint User Programme.
• Central Laser Facility (STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory): UK-based high-power laser user facility providing access to petawatt-class lasers and laser-plasma physics; closest direct competitor to ELI Beamlines for international academic users.

Others

• National Energetics: US supplier of petawatt-class laser systems and consortium partner on the L4 ATON development; comparable as a supply-side technology peer in the high-intensity laser ecosystem.

Regional players

• GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung: German heavy-ion and accelerator research facility building the FAIR accelerator complex with international user access; comparable as a European large-scale research infrastructure serving user communities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ELI_laser
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTH2xfyR2a_HT24gowS87WQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/ExtremeLightInfrastructure
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/extreme-light-infrastructure
• Instagraminstagram.com/eli_laser_eu

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 ELI - Extreme Light Infrastructure