Particle accelerators are a key asset of the European Research Area. Their use spans from the large installations devoted to fundamental science to a wealth of facilities providing X-ray or neutron beams to a wide range of scientific disciplines. Beyond scientific laboratories, their use in medicine and industry is rapidly growing. Notwithstanding their high level of maturity, particle accelerators are now facing critical challenges related to the size and performance of the facilities envisaged for the next step of particle physics research, to the increasing demands to accelerators for applied science, and to the specific needs of societal applications. In this crucial moment for accelerator evolution, I.FAST aims at enhancing innovation in and from accelerator-based Research Infrastructures (RI) by developing innovative breakthrough technologies common to multiple accelerator platforms, and by defining strategic roadmaps for future developments. I.FAST will focus the technological R&D on long-term sustainability of accelerator-based research, with the goal of developing more performant and affordable technologies, and of reducing power consumption and impact of accelerator facilities, thus paving the way to a sustainable next-generation of accelerators. By involving industry as a co-innovation partner via the 17 industrial companies in the Consortium, 12 of which SME’s, I.FASTwill generate and maintain an innovation ecosystem around the accelerator-based RIs that will sustain the long-term evolution of accelerator technologies in Europe. To achieve its goals, I.FAST will explore new alternative accelerator concepts and promote advanced prototyping of key technologies. These include, among others, techniques to increase brightness and reduce dimensions of synchrotron light sources, advanced superconducting technologies to produce higher fields with lower consumption, and strategies and technologies to improve energy efficiency.

Particle accelerators are essential tools for delivering excellence in many scientific fields and are widely used in industrial, healthcare and other applications. The demand of pushing further their scientific reach and of reinforcing their impact on society results in new challenges that must be addressed in the years to come: existing infrastructures are stretched to all performance frontiers, several world-class accelerator-based facilities on the ESFRI roadmap are under construction, and strategic decisions are needed for future accelerator facilities, to be realised on a global scale. To address these challenges, ARIES brings together a consortium of 41 beneficiaries from 18 countries: accelerator laboratories, technology institutes, universities and industrial partners to jointly address common challenges for the benefit of a number of projects and infrastructures in high-energy physics, as well as in photon and neutron science. By promoting complementary expertise, cross-disciplinary cooperation and a wider sharing of knowledge and technologies throughout academia and industry, ARIES will enhance the science and technology base for European accelerators. The main goals of ARIES are linked to developing and demonstrating novel concepts and further improving existing accelerator technologies, providing European researchers and industry with access to top-class accelerator research and test infrastructures, enlarging and further integrating the accelerator community in Europe, and developing a joint strategy towards sustainable accelerator S&T. ARIES comprises a strong industrial participation with 7 industrial partners, including two SMEs and one association. Innovation will be fostered by joint co-development programmes with industry, by supporting innovative technologies with market potential, and by advancing concepts and designs for medical, industrial and environmental applications of accelerators for the wide benefit of European science and society.