Major International Research Infrastructures

In Grenoble, the scientific community benefits from the presence of six major international research facilities. These institutes, with which we collaborate closely, offer exceptional opportunities for cutting-edge research with applications in numerous fields, such as advanced materials, the environment, energy, and health.

European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)

  • Located in the Grenoble Science Park since 1994, near the Laue-Langevin Institute and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory.
  • One of the four largest synchrotrons currently in operation worldwide.
For more information:
Visit the ESRF website

Laue-Langevin Institute (ILL)

  • Located at the Grenoble Science Park since 1966, near the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory.
  • A high-flux reactor with a power output of 58 MW, one of the world's most intense neutron sources.
  • Every year, 1,500 researchers from more than 40 different countries come to conduct their experiments.
For more information:
Visit the ILL website

Institute for Millimeter Radio Astronomy (IRAM)

  • The result of a multinational collaboration between Germany, France, and Spain.
  • Researches and studies cold matter in order to better understand the objects that make up our universe.
  • Large radio astronomy instruments.
For more information:
Visit the IRAM website

European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)

  • Founded in 1974, it is part of a European network of five locations spanning Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and France.
  • Based at the Grenoble Science Park since 1976, the EMBL maintains very close ties with the Institut Laue-Langevin and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility.
For more information:
Visit the EMBL website

European Magnetic Field Laboratory (EMFL)

  • A research unit within the CNRS.
  • It welcomes researchers from around the world to conduct their experiments in the strongest possible magnetic field—a continuous field in Grenoble and a pulsed field in Toulouse.
  • Continuous intense magnetic fields of up to 35 tesla.
For more information:
Visit the EMFL website

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)

For more information:
Visit the CERN website
Published on October 28, 2025
Updated on December 19, 2025