10 November 2025 – A new KM3NeT laboratory, INTEGRA, is inaugurated today in Salerno.
To achieve its ambitious scientific goals, KM3NeT relies on advanced facilities for the integration, construction, and testing of detector components. The INTEGRA (INTEGration & Research Area) laboratory is a new infrastructure dedicated to assembling and testing of Digital Optical Modules (DOMs) of KM3NeT.
The creation of the INTEGRA laboratory is made possible through the joint efforts of the University of Salerno and the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), within the framework of the KM3NeT4RR project. It is funded by the NextGenerationEU programme under the Italian PNRR funding plan. KM3NeT4RR aims at expanding the KM3NeT detector at the Capo Passero site, offshore Sicily, and at speeding up its construction. In this context detector integration and testing laboratories are being upgraded, and built.
New laboratories like INTEGRA, dedicated to the integration of the KM3NeT DOMs, are essential for the growth and the advancement of the experiment. In addition they play a fundamental role in fostering scientific and technological innovation and development in the local community.
The inauguration of INTEGRA takes place on the World Science Day for Peace and Development. This is a day that celebrates the power of science in connecting people and nations in the pursuit of knowledge, peace, and sustainability. An international collaboration like KM3NeT, which unites scientists and engineers from across Europe and beyond, embodies these values. Without this international effort, and the combination of expertise, technology, and the sharing of knowledge coming from different backgrounds, the exploration of the Universe through neutrinos would not be possible.
written by Chiara Poiré
