Plenary Presentation Details
Lucio Rossi
University of Milan / INFN – Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare
PRESENTATION DAY AND TIME
Thursday, September 10, 2026 | 8:00 a.m.
PRESENTATION TITLE
Collaboration Modes in Superconductivity, Applications to Large-Scale
ABSTRACT
Applied superconductivity has enabled some of the most ambitious scientific and technological achievements of the last fifty years. Beyond its extraordinary technical capabilities, however, it possesses another distinctive characteristic: it naturally fosters collaboration. The development of large-scale superconducting systems requires the integration of advanced materials, cryogenics, electromagnetic design, industrial manufacturing, testing facilities, and long-term operation. Such complexity cannot normally be mastered by a single laboratory or institution, but instead demands coordinated efforts involving research laboratories, universities, industry, funding agencies, and international organizations.
This lecture will explore how the evolution of applied superconductivity has been accompanied—and often driven—by the evolution of collaboration models. Drawing on representative examples from accelerator magnets, superconducting RF systems, fusion, and emerging high-temperature superconducting technologies, it will discuss how different organizational approaches have supported technological innovation and the creation of major research infrastructures.
The talk will argue that collaboration is not simply a consequence of large scientific projects, but one of the essential ingredients for technological innovation. In particular, long-term international partnerships have proven fundamental for establishing sustainable research infrastructures, preserving critical expertise, and creating the technological ecosystems required to develop increasingly complex superconducting systems.