Since 2023, IJCLab and the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN) have joined forces through eight research projects spanning nuclear physics, particle physics, theoretical physics and health physics. The third joint workshop, held at IJCLab (Orsay) on 17 and 18 November 2025, revealed a highly positive outcome for this cooperation.
A partnership built to last
Scientists from IJCLab and IFJ PAN have been collaborating for many years. In 2023, the directors of both laboratories sought to strengthen these ties and expand their cooperation into new areas. A collaboration agreement was signed, leading to annual workshops organised alternately at each institution.
Eight projects at the heart of contemporary physics
A joint call for projects launched in 2023 brought together several teams around complementary themes:
Nuclear physics
COFFEE aims to study nuclear fission through spectroscopy by harnessing the complementarity of the CCB (Cyclotron Centre Bronowice, IFJ PAN) and ALTO (IJCLab) platforms.
The Proteus C-235 Cyclotron which accelerates protons to energies of up to 230 MeV, with its beam delivery systems for medical and scientific research applications
High-energy physics
B2Collab analyses data from the Belle-II experiment at KEK to search for signals beyond the Standard Model through the decays of B and D mesons and the tau lepton. HADES focuses on data analysis from the eponymous experiment at GSI (dilepton and hadron production in elementary reactions and in nuclear matter), as well as on the development of a phenomenological thermal model.
Theoretical physics
HQ4nPDF explores the structure of nuclear partons through heavy quark and quarkonium production. PQQP investigates theoretical aspects of quarkonium production in the LHCb, ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN.
Health physics
DENIM develops detectors and simulation methods to improve anticancer therapy using proton and ion beams, drawing on the CCB (IFJ PAN) and BioALTO (IJCLab) platforms. PANCAKE studies proton therapy assisted by nanosystems for anticancer drug delivery. Finally, Proton Therapy focuses on proton radiotherapy for the treatment of central nervous system tumours.
Exchanges of remarkable intensity
The health physics and theoretical physics projects are unprecedented in this collaboration, and their success reflects the creative momentum generated by this partnership. The latest workshop highlighted the intensity of these exchanges: over 70 meetings, 15 workshops, 4 schools, 7 conferences, six jointly supervised PhD students, one shared intern, five mobility stays and nearly ten joint publications in just two years.
Concrete benefits for research and healthcare
This collaboration enables the two laboratories to pool their expertise and equipment to address fundamental questions in physics, while developing promising medical applications.