The University of Coimbra is the only Portuguese institution in European laser research project

The Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the University of Coimbra (FCTUC), through the Coimbra Laser-Lab, is the only Portuguese institution to participate in a new Horizon Europe project for research infrastructures focusing on the use of lasers.

The project Lasers4EU brings together 29 leading laser research institutions from 15 European countries to offer a central platform with unprecedented access to cutting-edge laser technologies and services for external scientists from academia and industry.

According to Luís Arnaut, Professor at FCTUC's Department of Chemistry and Director of the Coimbra Laser-Lab, “this project aims to provide transnational access to specialised laser facilities and technical support for advanced research. Scientists and industrialists in the field will be able to submit their projects through a single central platform, and once the best ideas have been selected, they will be able to carry out experiments in the facilities that make up the consortium,” he explains.

The Coimbra Laser-Lab is equipped to measure events a million times faster than a microsecond, detect the tiniest quantities of materials, induce chemical transformations at extreme temperatures and pressures, and characterise pollutants, cells, or works of art, using a wide range of laser-based equipment.

“As a research infrastructure, this laboratory has allowed dozens of researchers from all over the world to access its equipment in recent years. This European project is a recognition of the lab's relevance as a research infrastructure and an opportunity to participate in innovative solutions with industrial and social applications.”, Arnaut adds.

Since its creation as a technology platform at the University of Coimbra in 2017, Coimbra Laser Lab has been involved in numerous projects across a wide range of fields. “We have studied the use of lasers in areas as diverse as cancer treatment and the analysis of Rainha Santa Isabel's jewellery. Some of the technologies developed have reached the market, such as the use of lasers to generate high-frequency ultrasound,” he says.

This project stands out for its commitment to training and retaining talent in laser-based research areas, in addition to providing access to state-of-the-art laboratories," explains Luís Arnaut. "With a training component for the next generation of scientists in the use of advanced instrumentation, Lasers4EU will create knowledge that will unlock the full potential of laser technologies," he adds.

The Lasers4EU project, which will run for the next four years, will bring together infrastructure, expertise, and resources from across the continent to consolidate Europe's position at the forefront of laser science and technology.

Check the project’s website for further information.