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On 26 June 2026, the institutional visit of Francesco Campanella, Director of “Ispettorato per la Sicurezza Nucleare e la Radioprotezione” (ISIN), took place at the Legnaro National Laboratories (LNL). He was accompanied by Dr Adelaide Raulo, ISIN radiation protection expert. The meeting provided an opportunity to present the activities carried out at the Laboratories and to strengthen the dialogue with the supervisory authority on safety and radiation protection issues.

During the discussions, an overview was given of the research activities developed in the fields of nuclear physics and astrophysics, together with those related to the development of accelerator technologies. Through the Tandem-ALPI-PIAVE complex and the AN2000 and CN accelerators, LNL contribute to the INFN mission of investigating the fundamental structure of matter, while also supporting technology transfer programmes towards industry. These activities are complemented by the design of advanced radiation detection systems, applications in the medical field, and contributions to international scientific collaborations.

The exchange with the ISIN delegation made it possible to highlight the constant attention devoted by the Laboratories to the implementation of radiation protection protocols and safety systems. It clearly emerged that research activities are carried out in compliance with the requirements for the protection of workers, the environment and the public.

During the visit, the delegation also had the opportunity to observe the main facilities of the centre at close range, with a specific focus on the SPES project. SPES was recognised as an infrastructure of European relevance, dedicated both to the production of radioactive ion beams for the study of nuclear processes and to research on the production of radioisotopes for medical purposes.

The visit concluded with the confirmation of the shared willingness to continue a stable and structured collaboration between the Laboratories and ISIN. This ongoing dialogue represents a key element in ensuring high safety standards while, at the same time, supporting the scientific and technological development of the country.

“We didn’t just provide a service, we also learned a lot.” These are the words of Massimo Rossignoli, technologist and head of the Technical Office at the Legnaro National Laboratories, who led the project to develop a system for testing the pressure-tightness of special tubes produced by De Pretto Industrie for the JT-60SA fusion reactor.

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Anna Bianchi, a researcher in nuclear physics applied to medicine at the INFN Legnaro National Laboratories, is among the winners of the international “Standout Woman Award 2026,” now in its 10th year.

The award, presented under the patronage of the European Parliament during a ceremony held on January 22nd 2026 in Rome, in the Sala Regina of the Chamber of Deputies, is intended for professionals who have distinguished themselves through their ability, skills, and determination in achieving ambitious goals in the fields of art, culture, entertainment, entrepreneurship, and research.

Among this year’s eighteen recipients, Anna Bianchi received the prestigious recognition for her research in the innovative application of nuclear physics to medicine, particularly for her work aiming to integrate the biological efficacy of radiotherapy beams into treatment plans, improving the precision and safety of cancer therapies.

A sustainable and modular infrastructure to support research, high-performance computing (HPC) and large-scale scientific experiments

The new Data Center at the Legnaro National Laboratories is now operational: a modular and energy-efficient infrastructure, funded by the PNR, PNRR ICSC, and the Veneto Region (CONVECS), which already supports international experiments, cloud services, and HPC resources for scientific research.

The new Legnaro National Laboratories Data Center has been operational since early December 2025.
Designed from the outset for modular construction in multiple phases, thanks to funding from the National Research Council (PNR) and National Research Council (PNRR) ICSC (National Research Center for High Performance Computing, Big Data, and Quantum Computing), the Data Center has now completed its core infrastructure.
The facility is currently sized to support up to 500 kW of power.
Energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact were central elements of the project. The Data Center uses the best technologies available today, guaranteeing an annual PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) of less than 1.3. Following the completion of the testing phase, the Data Center has become operational and currently hosts the Tier 2 data analysis facility for the CMS and ALICE experiments, the “CloudVeneto” infrastructure, the LNL plant control systems, and the computing resources for the AGATA experiment, with a total capacity of approximately 12,000 cores, 15 petabytes of disk space, and an installed power of 120 kW.
In the coming months, with the installation of the INFN national services infrastructure for Business Continuity and the arrival of new high-performance computing (HPC) resources as part of the ICSC and CONVECS projects, funded by the Veneto Region, the IT power will reach 200 kW, for a total of approximately 22,000 cores and 25 petabytes of storage capacity.

Liliana Mou, a technologist of the Legnaro National Laboratories and member of the LARAMED team, restate the preeminence international role of INFN in the research on medical radionuclides.

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