FERMI RESEARCH ALLIANCE LLC

Their core work

Fermi Research Alliance operates Fermilab, the premier US particle physics laboratory located in Batavia, Illinois. Through H2020, they participate as a third-party partner in EU-funded researcher exchange programs (MSCA-RISE), contributing world-class accelerator infrastructure and deep expertise in muon physics, neutrino oscillation experiments, and particle detector development. Their role in these projects centers on hosting European researchers, sharing access to unique experimental facilities like the Muon Campus and liquid argon detector testbeds, and co-developing next-generation detector technologies.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2016–2018), FRA's involvement spanned a broad range of fundamental physics — from gravitational wave astronomy and x-ray polarimetry to muon magnetic moment measurements and charged lepton flavour violation. By 2019–2024, the focus sharpened significantly toward neutrino oscillation physics, muon-based experiments (cooling, collisions, radiography), and flavour physics, with continued but narrower detector technology work. This trajectory reflects Fermilab's strategic pivot toward becoming the world's leading neutrino and muon physics facility.

FRA is concentrating on neutrino oscillations, muon precision measurements, and associated detector technologies — partners in these areas will find an increasingly focused and committed collaborator.

How they like to work

FRA participates exclusively as a third party in MSCA-RISE staff exchange projects, never as coordinator or formal consortium partner. This reflects their US-based status: they provide infrastructure and expertise while EU institutions lead the grants. With 105 unique partners across 28 countries, they function as a global hub — many different European groups rotate through Fermilab's facilities, making them one of the most broadly connected third parties in H2020 particle physics.

FRA has collaborated with 105 unique partners across 28 countries, forming one of the widest third-party networks in H2020 fundamental physics. Their connections span European universities, national labs, and research institutes from Italy and the UK to Japan, reflecting the global nature of particle physics collaborations.

What sets them apart

FRA offers something almost no other H2020 partner can: direct access to Fermilab's accelerator complex, including the Muon Campus and large-scale liquid argon detector facilities. As the operator of the US flagship particle physics laboratory, they bring experimental infrastructure at a scale that European partners cannot replicate domestically. For any consortium working on muon physics, neutrino experiments, or advanced particle detectors, FRA is the natural transatlantic bridge.

Highlights from their portfolio

• aMUSE
  Direct continuation of the earlier MUSE project, showing a sustained decade-long EU-US collaboration on muon campus experiments — rare programmatic continuity.
• INTENSE
  Broadest scope of any FRA project, spanning flavour physics to applied muon radiography for geology and natural hazards — demonstrating spin-off potential from fundamental research.
• PROBES
  Most recent and thematically ambitious project, combining particle physics with gravitational wave detection, dark matter searches, and nuclear astrophysics across a trilateral EU-US-Japan framework.