The Cockcroft Institute will design and build the next generation of particle accelerators—machines that are smaller, more powerful, and more versatile than today's versions. Accelerators are not just for smashing atoms. They underpin modern cancer therapy, security scanning, materials processing, and fundamental physics. But current machines are enormous and expensive, limiting their use. The Institute tackles three linked problems: making accelerators more compact and energy-efficient, developing novel acceleration techniques (such as plasma and terahertz-driven beams), and applying these machines to real-world challenges. If successful, this research could shrink a hospital's proton therapy system from a building-sized facility to something far more accessible, improving cancer treatment for thousands of patients. It would also enable the UK's proposed X-ray Free Electron Laser, letting researchers watch chemical reactions unfold in atomic detail. The work supports international projects like the Large Hadron Collider upgrade and the Electron Ion Collider, which probe the fundamental structure of matter. The Institute trains around 15 PhD students and 10 postdoctoral researchers each year, feeding skilled people into industry and accelerator laboratories. This is applied and fundamental science combined, with direct routes to medical, industrial, and discovery-driven impact.
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The Cockcroft Institute (CI) is an internationally leading centre for Accelerator Science and Engineering. It is a collaboration between accelerator experts (academics, researchers, engineers, technicians and PhD students) at the Universities of Liverpool, Lancaster, Manchester and Strathclyde and the STFC Accelerator Science Technology Centre. Its mission is to perform world class research on accelerators of all types. The CI has significant activity in three themes, a) Scientific frontier facilities and underpinning technologies, b) Novel Acceleration Techniques and c) Application of accelerators in addressing global challenges. Underpinning technologies include high-power radiofrequency electromagnetic energy generation, beam instrumentation and sustainability. Scientific frontier facilities are microscopes for fundamental or applied sciences. The proposed UK X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) will allow UK researchers to understand the structure of new materials or how chemical reactions occur in unparalleled detail. International accelerator projects, with a large UK involvement, like the upgrade to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and Electron Ion Collider (EIC) will elucidate the structure of matter at a fundamental level. Developments in plasma physics and advanced materials are providing a route to more compact and higher energy accelerators. The Novel Acceleration Techniques theme covers beam and laser-driven plasma acceleration, the careful manipulation and acceleration of beams using terahertz electromagnetic waves and blue sky ideas in completely new, ultra-compact structures to accelerate charged particles. Accelerators are widely used devices beyond fundamental research. Application of accelerators in addressing global challenges includes the use of accelerators to produce therapeutic photon, electron, proton, and ion beams to treat cancer, beams to process textiles, cross-link polymers, and security X-ray imaging. This is done in partnership with UKRI, CRUK, NHS, and companies like Rapiscan and Varian. Cancer is a leading cause of mortality in the developed world. The Cockcroft plans to perform research to improve the usage of proton beams to treat cancer, in collaboration with the Christie Hospital Proton Therapy Centre. Internationally a race is to bring very high-energy electron beam therapy to the clinic, and Cockcroft is central to and leading in this area. The Cockcroft Institute supports unique accelerator facilities at the STFC Daresbury Laboratory. CLARA (Compact Linear Accelerator for Research and Applications) is an electron accelerator which will produce free electron laser-like beams which can be exploited at FEBE (Full Energy Beam Exploitation at CLARA) for high-energy electron research and novel acceleration experiments. Additionally, the Cockcroft has created two shielded bunkers for terahertz and radio-frequency research. The facilities are unique and world-leading and form a foundation of cutting-edge research. Particle accelerators are often used but not well understood by the public at large. Members of the Cockcroft Institute lead or contribute to award-winning public engagement and outreach activities, including a well-selling book “Collisions” and “Physics of Star Wars” talks. The Cockcroft Institute core grant supports at a foundational level the research across all three research themes. The Cockcroft Institute then leverages significant additional financial support from UKRI (e.g. STFC, EPSRC), the European Union, and International laboratories (e.g. CERN, JLab). The Cockcroft Institute trains and educates around 15 PhD students and 10 post-doctoral researchers per annum. These highly skilled people find employment in the wider economy and accelerator laboratories.
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