Institute of modern physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

What Institute of modern physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences does

The Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is a national research institute headquartered in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, with a second major facility footprint in Huizhou, Guangdong. Its core technical domain is heavy ion accelerator science and nuclear physics, anchored by three principal facilities: the Lanzhou Heavy Ion Research Facility (HIRFL), the newly commissioned High Intensity Heavy-ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF), and the China Initiative Accelerator Driven System (CiADS). HIAF was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in January 2018, began construction in December 2018, and successfully extracted beam in October 2025; it now delivers the international highest pulse beam intensity heavy ion beams (up to 4.25 GeV/nucleon) and hosts the highest-precision nuclear mass spectrometer, which set a world record on the gold-202 nucleus in April 2026. CiADS, a 10 MW thermal power fully superconducting ADS device, is the world's first megawatt-class accelerator-driven transmutation research facility. Supporting infrastructure includes the Atomic Mass Data Center (AMDC), an internationally authoritative nuclear mass evaluation center used by the global nuclear physics community.

IMP's commercial activity centers on the medical heavy ion accelerator product line, which has achieved over 90% domestic equipment localization with 60+ patents. The Lanzhou carbon ion treatment system received medical device registration approval in June 2023, and the institute received the 23rd China International Industrial Expo Award in September 2023. Technology transfer partnerships are concentrated with Wuwei Heavy Ion Tumor Hospital and Lanzhou Heavy Ion Hospital for clinical deployment, and a new-generation medical heavy ion accelerator demonstration unit was deployed in Huizhou in May 2024. The IP-SAFE project, with its accelerator main installation completed in February 2026, extends the product line into alpha medical isotope mass production.

IMP operates as a government state-owned research entity under CAS and is funded primarily through national science and technology infrastructure allocations. Its revenue model mixes government appropriations (subscription/recurring), technology transfer and licensing of medical accelerator systems to hospitals, and scientific services through domestic and international collaborations, including a 40-plus-year partnership with Germany's Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research (GSI) marked in 2017. Customer segments are organized vertically across academic research institutions, the medical/healthcare sector, and the nuclear energy industry, with academic research and healthcare flagged as primary. Distribution relies on direct research collaboration and technology transfer rather than commercial sales channels.

Name

Institute of modern physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Legal name

中国科学院近代物理研究所 (Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Website

https://impcas.ac.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is a national research institute operating heavy ion accelerator facilities (HIRFL, HIAF, CiADS) in Lanzhou and Huizhou, serving academic, medical, and nuclear energy communities via fundamental research, medical carbon ion therapy technology transfer, and the international Atomic Mass Data Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nuclear Research Infrastructure

NAICS

Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing (334517), Nuclear Electric Power Generation (221113), Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance (811210)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), X-Ray Apparatus & Tubes & Related Irradiation Apparatus (3844)

akta.pro primary industry

Reactor Instrumentation & Control (I&C) Platforms (Safety/Non-safety, Digital Upgrades) (EUAKADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Instrumentation & Control (I&C) Integration & Commissioning Support (EUAKAAAH), Radiation Detection Instruments & Systems (Portal monitors, spectrometers, contamination monitors) (EUAKAIAK), Radioisotope Production (Reactor/Cyclotron/Gamma) (HLAIAGAD)

Keywords

• Heavy ion accelerator
• Nuclear physics research
• Particle therapy equipment
• Accelerator driven systems
• Nuclear mass data

Headquarters

HQ city

Lanzhou

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: Primary funding from Chinese Academy of Sciences and national research programs for fundamental nuclear physics research and major science infrastructure projects.
2. Technology Transfer and Industrialization: Commercialization of medical heavy ion accelerator technology through dedicated industrialization platforms and partnerships with hospitals and healthcare institutions.
3. Scientific Services and Collaborations: Research collaborations with domestic and international institutions, providing scientific services and sharing research facilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Institute of Modern Physics operates national major science and technology infrastructure for heavy ion accelerator research, including the HIRFL, HIAF, and CiADS facilities. It develops and manufactures medical heavy ion accelerators for cancer treatment, and operates the Atomic Mass Data Center (AMDC) which provides authoritative nuclear data evaluation services. The institute also develops specialized software such as NUCLEUS and NucleusPlus for nuclear physics data processing and accelerator simulation.

Product overview

The Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences operates as a national research institute specializing in nuclear physics, accelerator technology, and nuclear technology applications. The core product portfolio includes the High Intensity Heavy-ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF) and Accelerator Driven Subcritical System (CiADS) - national major science infrastructure projects for fundamental nuclear research. Supporting infrastructure includes the Lanzhou Heavy Ion Research Facility (HIRFL) for ongoing nuclear physics research. The institute also develops Medical Heavy Ion Accelerators for cancer treatment applications and operates the Atomic Mass Data Center (AMDC) - an international nuclear data resource providing atomic mass evaluations and nuclear structure data. Associated software products include NUCLEUS and NucleusPlus for nuclear data visualization and analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Atomic Mass Data Center (AMDC): International nuclear mass and atomic mass evaluation data center providing NUBASE, AME evaluations, and related nuclear data resources

Products and services

• High Intensity Heavy-ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF) National major science and technology infrastructure providing high-intensity heavy-ion beams for nuclear physics, atomic physics, and interdisciplinary research. The facility is designed to operate as the fourth-generation heavy-ion research facility in the world and is intended for use by domestic and international scientific research institutions.
• China Initiative Accelerator Driven System (CiADS) National major science infrastructure project for accelerator-driven subcritical reactor system research, supporting research into advanced nuclear energy and nuclear waste transmutation applications. The CiADS National Laboratory is headquartered at the Huizhou Research Base.
• Lanzhou Heavy Ion Research Facility (HIRFL) The institute's flagship operational heavy-ion research facility providing beam time and experimental capabilities for nuclear physics research. It serves as one of the principal user facilities for the Chinese nuclear physics community.
• Medical Heavy Ion Accelerator Domestic medical device for heavy ion cancer therapy using carbon ion beams, intended for hospitals and clinical cancer treatment centers. The product targets the localization of advanced cancer radiotherapy equipment in China, where approximately 90% of key components have been domestically manufactured.
• Atomic Mass Data Center (AMDC) Specialized center that evaluates and publishes atomic mass evaluation tables (AME), serving the international nuclear physics community with authoritative nuclear mass data. Hosted by the Institute of Modern Physics since 2021.
• NUCLEUS Software Beta-decay spectrum simulation software used to describe beta-decay processes of nuclei, available for download by the nuclear physics research community.
• NucleusPlus Software Software tool used for radioactive decay data analysis, available for download by nuclear physics researchers.
• IP-SAFE (Innovation Platform of Secure Advanced Fuel Elements) Project focused on development of advanced nuclear fuel element technologies, located at the Huizhou Research Base, supporting China's advanced nuclear fuel research initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nuclear mass measurement accuracy reached 11 keV for gold-202, doubling the previous international best precision
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• German Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research (GSI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 September 201740th anniversary of cooperation commemorated in 2017. Long-term strategic partnership in heavy ion physics research, accelerator technology development, and related scientific collaborations spanning over four decades.
• Chinese Academy of Sciences High Energy Physics InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of ADS (Accelerator Driven System) technology including the 25MeV superconducting proton linear accelerator project.
• Guangdong Province GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction support for HIAF and CiADS major science facilities in Huizhou, Guangdong Province. Guangdong Province supports facility auxiliary construction as part of Greater Bay Area innovation center development.
• Wuwei Heavy Ion Tumor HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology transfer and clinical application partnership for medical heavy ion accelerator cancer treatment system in Wuwei, Gansu.
• Lanzhou Heavy Ion HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical application partnership for Lanzhou carbon ion treatment system approved for medical registration in June 2023.
• Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Modern Physics - Multiple Domestic UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAS B-class pilot project 'Research on Nuclear Matter Phase Structure and Heavy Element Production' involving Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, National Astronomical Observatories, Institute of Theoretical Physics, and Institute of High Energy Physics.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions: Japanese industrial group operating carbon ion therapy systems and superconducting accelerator technology. Comparable to IMP as a commercial supplier of medical heavy ion accelerator systems for hospital deployment.
• Hitachi: Japanese conglomerate with a leading commercial particle therapy systems business, including carbon ion therapy systems deployed globally. Directly comparable to IMP's medical heavy ion accelerator program as a commercial incumbent in the same clinical technology category.
• IBA (Ion Beam Applications): Belgian company specializing in proton therapy systems, radiopharmaceuticals, and industrial accelerator solutions. Comparable to IMP in particle accelerator technology and medical isotope production for cancer treatment applications.

Direct peers

• TRIUMF: Canada's particle accelerator centre operating the world's largest cyclotron, conducting nuclear physics, accelerator technology, and isotope production research. Comparable mission to IMP across fundamental research, accelerator development, and medical isotope production.
• GANIL (Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds): French national large heavy ion accelerator facility operating SPIRAL2 for nuclear physics research. Closely comparable to IMP's HIRFL and HIAF facilities in scope and research mission for nuclear structure and astrophysics studies.
• Argonne National Laboratory - ATLAS: US Department of Energy national laboratory operating the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS) for nuclear physics research. Direct peer in superconducting heavy ion accelerator technology and rare isotope research.
• GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research: German national laboratory specializing in heavy ion research with accelerator facilities including SIS18/SIS100. IMP's longest-standing international partner with 40+ years of collaboration on heavy ion physics and accelerator technology development.
• Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) at Michigan State University: US Department of Energy user facility for nuclear science with the world's most powerful heavy ion accelerator for rare isotope production. Direct peer for next-generation rare isotope research and precision nuclear mass measurement.
• RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science: Japanese research center operating RIBF, one of the world's leading heavy ion accelerator facilities for nuclear structure and exotic nuclei research. Directly comparable to IMP in scope of heavy ion physics research and accelerator technology development.
• INFN Legnaro National Laboratories (LNL): Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics laboratory operating heavy ion accelerator facilities including the SPES project. Comparable to IMP as a mid-scale heavy ion physics laboratory with radioisotope beam programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Ximpcas.ac.cn/wb2017
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-of-modern-physics-imp-cas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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