National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS

What National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS does

SOLARIS is Poland's national synchrotron radiation research centre, operated as a structural unit of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. The facility generates high-intensity X-ray and ultraviolet light using a linear accelerator feeding into a storage ring, supporting advanced materials analysis, spectroscopy, and imaging for academic and industrial users across Central-Eastern Europe and internationally.

The facility operates eight specialized beamlines (URANOS for ARPES, PIRX for XPS, DEMETER for PEEM, PHELIX for spectroscopy, ASTRA for XAFS, POLYX for micro-fluorescence, CIRI for infrared spectroscopy) alongside an integrated cryo-electron microscopy capability, with three additional beamlines (ARYA, SMAUG, MAVKA) currently under construction. Access for researchers is managed through the Solaris User Network (SUN), a competitive proposal-based beamtime allocation system, while industrial users are served through a dedicated Industry and Hub program offering contract research and collaboration services.

SOLARIS does not operate as a commercial enterprise. Its funding derives from Polish national government allocations and European Union research programs such as NEPHEWS and LUKE, with no private equity, venture capital, or fee-based revenue model in evidence. The institution's user base spans universities and research institutes globally, including MIT, Columbia, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the University of Würzburg, positioning it as one of the most significant research infrastructures in Central-Eastern Europe.

Name

National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS

Legal name

Uniwersytet Jagielloński w Krakowie

Website

https://synchrotron.pl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SOLARIS is Poland's national synchrotron radiation centre, operated by Jagiellonian University in Kraków. It provides eight operational beamlines plus cryo-EM access to academic and industrial researchers across materials science, physics, chemistry, biology, and energy research via proposal-based allocation and EU-funded transnational programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kraków

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: As a national research infrastructure, SOLARIS is primarily funded by Polish national government sources and European Union research programs, providing access to researchers at no direct cost.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

SOLARIS operates a national synchrotron radiation facility providing access to high-intensity X-ray and ultraviolet light through specialized beamlines (URANOS, PIRX, DEMETER, PHELIX, ASTRA, POLYX, CIRI) and a cryo-electron microscopy (CRYO-EM) facility. The center offers beamtime allocation to academic researchers via a competitive proposal process and industrial collaboration services for materials analysis, quality control, and R&D support.

Product overview

SOLARIS is a national synchrotron radiation center operated by Jagiellonian University, providing advanced research infrastructure for materials science, physics, chemistry, biology, and environmental research. The facility offers access to multiple research beamlines (URANOS, PIRX, DEMETER, PHELIX, ASTRA, POLYX, CIRI, CRYO-EM) and operates a linear accelerator and storage ring. Services include beamtime access for external researchers, industrial collaboration through research hubs, cryo-electron microscopy, and scientific conferences/workshops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• URANOS Beamline

Quantifiable outcome

• Discovery of stable flat bands at room temperature in transition-metal oxyhalides (NbOCl2)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MIT - Massachusetts Institute of TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026Collaborative research on quantum materials led by Prof. Riccardo Comin from MIT, utilizing the URANOS beamline at SOLARIS for high-resolution ARPES studies of flat band materials.
• Columbia University (Prof. Xavier Roy Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research with Prof. Xavier Roy's group on orbital-selective flat bands in layered transition-metal oxyhalides, contributing to quantum materials science.
• Brookhaven National LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution providing complementary ESM beamline measurements alongside SOLARIS URANOS for flat band research.
• University of WürzburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration led by Prof. Giorgio Sangiovanni on quantum materials research using synchrotron techniques.
• University of P.J. Šafárik in KošiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research on MOF materials for CO2 capture using POLYX beamline at SOLARIS for structural characterization.
• University of OstravaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution in MOF composite research for carbon capture, utilizing synchrotron imaging at SOLARIS.
• Durham University (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational collaboration on DNA origami nanodiscs (DOC-NDs) for membrane protein research, utilizing CRYO-EM at SOLARIS.
• LUKE Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU-funded project bringing together research funding organizations from EU member states and associated countries to support Ukraine's research and innovation ecosystem. SOLARIS serves as host for workshops on Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda for Ukraine 2035+. Consortium includes DLR (Germany), National Research Foundation of Ukraine, and Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science.
• NEPHEWS ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean project enabling access to major research infrastructures across Europe, providing transnational access to SOLARIS synchrotron facilities for researchers from partner countries.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ALBA Synchrotron: Spanish national synchrotron operating a 3 GeV third-generation storage ring with beamlines for materials science, biology, and chemistry. Similar in role to SOLARIS as a medium-sized, government-funded synchrotron providing competitive beamtime access to academic and industrial users.
• Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste: Italian national synchrotron light source operating a 2.0/2.4 GeV storage ring with multiple beamlines for materials, life, and environmental sciences. Most directly comparable to SOLARIS in scale, governance as a national user facility, and mission to serve both academic and industrial users.
• Canadian Light Source: Canadian national synchrotron facility operating a 2.9 GeV third-generation storage ring with beamlines for materials, life sciences, and environmental research. Comparable to SOLARIS as a publicly funded mid-size national synchrotron serving a similar mix of academic and industrial users.
• BESSY II (Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin): German synchrotron radiation facility operating a 1.7 GeV storage ring particularly strong in microscopy, spectroscopy, and microfocus applications. Closely comparable to SOLARIS in electron energy class, beamline breadth, and public-research-facility mission.
• MAX IV Laboratory: Swedish national synchrotron radiation facility hosting a 3 GeV ring and multiple beamlines for spectroscopy, scattering, and imaging. Comparable to SOLARIS as a publicly funded national user facility serving Nordic and European researchers with similar beamtime-allocation models.
• Australian Synchrotron (ANSTO): Australian national synchrotron operating a 3 GeV third-generation ring with beamlines for imaging, spectroscopy, and diffraction. Similar in role and scale to SOLARIS as a government-funded national facility providing competitive beamtime to academic and industrial users.

Broad incumbents

• SOLEIL Synchrotron: French national synchrotron operating a 2.75 GeV storage ring with a large beamline portfolio serving materials, chemistry, biology, and environmental science. Larger and more established than SOLARIS but operates a similar national-user-facility model with overlapping scientific use cases.
• Diamond Light Source: UK national synchrotron operating a 3 GeV third-generation ring and the largest portfolio of beamlines in the country. Comparable to SOLARIS in mission and beamtime-access model, but materially larger in scale, user base, and scientific output.
• NSLS-II (Brookhaven National Laboratory): U.S. national synchrotron light source operating a 3 GeV ultra-bright storage ring with a large portfolio of beamlines. Directly collaborates with SOLARIS on quantum-materials research and serves as a higher-energy, higher-brilliance alternative for shared scientific communities.
• ESRF – The European Synchrotron: Pan-European synchrotron in Grenoble operating a 6 GeV ultra-high-brilliance ring after the EBS upgrade. Comparable to SOLARIS in technique breadth (X-ray spectroscopy, imaging, scattering) but a far larger, flagship facility that competes for the same user community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SOLARIS_science
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCInYD20XuqK3daHom5caUlQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/synchrotron.solaris.badania
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/synchrotron-solaris
• Instagraminstagram.com/synchrotronsolaris

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS