HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics (HUN-REN Wigner RCP), Budapest, Hungary

The HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics (HUN-REN Wigner RCP) is a cornerstone institution within the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network, pursuing internationally acclaimed research across the disciplines of physics, materials science, and computer science. HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics holds a strong position within Hungary’s research landscape, maintaining enduring ties with European and global scientific communities and research infrastructures.

HUN-REN Wigner RCP is a contemporary centre of scientific excellence, drawing upon seven decades of distinguished tradition in both fundamental and applied research, with a firm commitment to multidisciplinary approach. Comprising two principal institutes — the Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics and the Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics — the Centre brings together a community of more than 200 researchers. It maintains flourishing partnerships with leading universities and international consortia, including CERN, ELI and XFEL, several Max Planck and INFN Institutes, and the BNL and RIKEN National Laboratories. The researchers actively participate in major international funding frameworks such as Horizon Europe, EU MSCA and several bilateral programmes.

Researchers at HUN-REN Wigner RCP have held leading roles in the CERN Large Hadron Collider experiments recognised with the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, awarded for landmark contributions to Higgs boson characterisation and particle physics measurement. Researchers of HUN-REN Wigner RCP working in the VIRGO Collaboration were also awarded the Special Breakthrough Prize for the discovery of gravitational waves in 2016. HUN-REN Wigner RCP has driven significant advances in materials science, pioneered novel nano-optical devices, and contributed to prominent international space missions. Several research groups at HUN-REN Wigner RCP form a leading hub of expertise driving domestic research and development in quantum technologies, focusing on quantum sensors and quantum computing.

HUN-REN Wigner RCP operates a sophisticated research infrastructure designed to serve both national scientific capacity and international collaboration. Its principal facilities include the Zero Magnetic Laboratory, the High Energy Physics Laboratory (VLAB), the Wigner Scientific Computing Laboratory (WSCLAB), and the Wigner Laser and Spectroscopy Centre. High-performance computing and big data capabilities are provided by the Wigner Data Centre. Together, these facilities underpin research of the highest impact and support robust partnerships spanning academia, large-scale research infrastructures, industry, and the public sector.

Learn more about HUN-REN Wigner RCP by visiting its website.

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