Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare

The INFN - the National Institute of Nuclear Physics - is an organization dedicated to the study of the fundamental constituents of matter, and conducts theoretical and experimental research in the fields of subnuclear, nuclear, and astroparticle physics. Fundamental research in these areas requires the use of cutting-edge technologies and instrumentation, which the INFN develops both in its own laboratories and in collaboration with the world of industry.

Groups from the universities of Rome, Padua, Turin, and Milan founded the INFN on August 8, 1951 for the purpose of building upon the scientific tradition established during the 1930’s by Enrico Fermi and his school, with their theoretical and experimental research in nuclear physics.

During the latter half of the 1950’s, the INFN designed and constructed the first Italian accelerator—the electron synchrotron developed in Frascati, the birthplace of the Institute’s first national laboratory.
During the same period, the INFN began to participate in research into the construction and use of ever-more powerful accelerators being conducted at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, in Geneva. Today, INFN researchers make important contributions to research not only in various European laboratories, but also in numerous research centers worldwide.

http://www.infn.it/indexen.php