Universita della Svizzera italiana (USI),

USI as a founding member of the EST Foundation Canaries is leading CH-EST. USI has engaged broad participation across Faculties of Informatics (INF), Economics (ECO), and Communication (COM), which contribute key expertise in solar magnetism, software engineering, data pipelines, real-time data analysis, advanced statistics, AI, HPC, research governance and policy. 

USI-INF Software Institute (SI) has world-leading expertise in software and data engineering, mining software repositories, software maintenance and evolution, software visualization, machine learning and artificial intelligence, formal methods for software engineering, software testing, business process management, web engineering and web API research. SI is a revolutionary software research center and has been key in establishing USI as Europe’s top-ranked institution for software engineering research (CS Rankings). Prof. Michele Lanza, former SI director (founder in 2017 and director until 2024), is recognized as a world-renowned authority in software visualization, program comprehension, and software evolution analysis. Besides pioneering the seminal “software systems as cities” metaphor and developing the polymetric views approach for software visualization, his expertise extends to industry through the CodeLounge center, which is co-founded and co-directed with Dr. Marco D’Ambros since 2018. CodeLounge is a software research and development center which has strong experience in collaborating with companies and researchers in other disciplines to provide innovative software solutions, including applying AI, data analytics, and sofware visualization, to their research problems. In this project, Prof. Lanza, Dr. D’Ambros and other members of the institute, including Dr. Andrea Mocci, Dr. Marco Raglianti, Davide Tua, Jesper Findahl, will provide expertise to implement digital counterparts of the instruments and the physical infrastructures, especially after the design and before the deployment phase, to explore various operational scenarios through digital twins. 

USI-INF Institute of Computing (IC) and the group of Prof. Ernst-Jan Wit conducts fundamental and applied research across the full spectrum of modern computational science. Its mission is to develop theoretical foundations, algorithms, and software tools that enable the analysis, modelling and prediction of complex systems. Research areas span statistical learning, functional data analysis, probabilistic modelling, high-performance and distributed computing, data governance, computational biology, and numerical simulation. The institute combines mathematical rigour with practical relevance, maintaining strong collaborations with other scientific disciplines such as physics, biology, medicine, and finance. A key focus of the institute is the development of advanced tools for analysing high-dimensional and structured data, including spatio-temporal processes, functional observations, and networked systems. Researchers at the institute contribute actively to open-source software, develop custom pipelines for large-scale data processing, and design algorithms suitable for modern heterogeneous hardware. The institute also supports interdisciplinary infrastructure projects, such as in-house computing clusters and data-governance frameworks, which enable experimental work with large and rapidly evolving datasets. Through its teaching, software development, and research collaborations, the Institute of Computing provides a comprehensive environment for cutting-edge data science and computational research.

Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IDSIA): The group by Prof. Cesare Alippi at IDSIA specializes in graph deep learning, an advanced AI framework that leverages data-producing entities together with their underlying relational dependencies, such as those found in sensor networks and time-series data. The group also conducts research in learning within time-varying environments, continual learning, and intelligent embedded systems. Their work addresses key tasks including prediction, classification, diagnostics, and prognostics, and is supported by strong expertise in signal and image processing too.

USI-INF Euler Institute has strong collaboration with IRSOL through interdisciplinary applications of computational and data science for solving solar physics problems. Prof. Svetlana Berdyugina is an astrophysicist focused on solving inverse problems for inferring solar plasma parameters from spectropolarimetric data using AI methods. Prof. Rolf Krause is an applied mathematician who employs his expertise for solving differential equations using fast and robust methods for radiation transpots problems in 3D and non-equilibrium media. Dr. Patrick Zulian is a computational scientist with expertise in supercomputing and the numerical solution of large-scale, coupled multiphysics systems. He has developed and contributed to national and international open-source HPC codes. His current research interests also include big-data methods and explainable machine learning, with a focus on accelerating scientific applications on modern supercomputing architectures.

USI-ECO Euler Institute: The group of Prof. Antonietta Mira at the Faculty of Economics has expertise in statistics, data science, computational statistics (including Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithms, Importance Sampling, and Approximate Bayesian Computation), information imbalance, intrinsic dimension, and Bayesian modeling, with applications in the social and life sciences, finance, economics, and, in the context of this project, solar data. Her contribution will focus on advanced data analysis methodologies using dimensionality reduction techniques based on intrinsic dimension, a methodology developed in collaboration with physicists at SISSA (Trieste, Italy), applied to data onto one or more lower-dimensional manifolds, providing an initial model-based clustering. This step is crucial given the extremely large dimensionality of solar datasets. She will als use information imbalance, a model-free methodology also developed with collaborators from SISSA, to identify the explanatory variables with the highest information content relative to the outcome variables. This will also remove redundant variables that have a possibly non-linear relationship with other covariates. In a time-series setting as the one provided by EST, information imbalance will also allow us to infer causal relationships. Finally, develop Bayesian models that integrate the data with expert prior knowledge will enable rigorous uncertainty quantification of the results.

USI-COM Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society is the only one in Switzerland and among the few in Europe to offer an all-round education in communication, with a fully interdisciplinary approach. Prof. Benedetto Lepori is an expert in governance and organizational structures of higher education institutions, including institutional theory, hybrid organizations, development of data infrastructures, diversity and characterization of higher education systems, comparative analysis of national research policies and funding systems, indicators to characterize research funding systems and higher education institutions. He was involved in the design of European research infrastructures in research and higher education, and currently is scientific director of the European Higher Education Sector Observatory of the European Commission. In this project, he will provide guidance in establishing an efficient governance structure and communication logistics between various components of the EST research infrastructure, in particular for a multi-national, highly-diverse distributed EST DC. 

Istituto ricerche solari Aldo e Cele Daccó (IRSOL)

IRSOL‘s research focuses on solar magnetism with the goal to understand solar magnetic phenomena and predict the evolution of solar activity and its effects on space weather and Earth’s climate. IRSOL’s unique strengths are in evolution of solar magnetic fields on various scales (Prof. Svetlana Berdyugina group), high-precision solar spectropolarimetric observations and instrumentation (Dr. Renzo Ramelli group), 3D theoretical and numerical modeling of polarized radiation (Dr. Luca Belluzzi group), and 3D radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulations (RMHD) using HPC at CSCS (Dr. Fabio Riva group). This is the basis for the IRSOL‘s contributions to EST.  IRSOL’s 0.45m telescope, the largest optical solar telescope in Switzerland, is equipped with the world-leading ZIMPOL solar imaging polarimeter. This unique observation infrastructure has been recognized as being of national importance. IRSOL has been a Swiss EST consortium partner since the EST project’s start in 2008 and contributed to its development through several EU-funded projects.

FHNW Institute for Data Science (I4DS)

I4DS is an interdisciplinary team of specialists in computer science, engineering, architecture, design, mathematics and physics, developing AI and data-driven methods to address real world challenges for society and the economy. The institute focuses on space and solar-science applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC), including flare prediction, data compression, simulation acceleration and explainable machine learning, and contributes to major international infrastructures. The institute hosts the PI of the Swiss-built STIX X-ray telescope on the ESA Solar Orbiter (Prof. Samuel Krucker), contributes to major international data-intensive projects including SKA and EUCLID (Prof. André Csillaghy), and conducts research in flare prediction, explainable AI, data compression, and simulation acceleration (Prof. Brandon Panos). FHNW plays an important role in global research infrastructures such as participation in the SKAO Science and Engineering Advisory Committee and long-standing involvement in EU solar data programmes (EGSO, HELIO, HESPE, FLARECAST). At the same time, I4DS maintains strong links to industry, co-developing solutions based on large language models and predictive analytics for business and healthcare partners, ensuring that methods pioneered for space science rapidly translate into broader societal and economic impact.

ETHZ Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag)

At Eawag, Dr. Carlo Albert, who is a theoretical physicist and applied mathematician, leads the research group Mathematical Methods in Environmental Research. His team develops and applies advanced data-science methodologies grounded in statistical physics, nonlinear dynamical systems, and modern statistical inference. A particular focus lies on Bayesian inference for stochastic models and on the mathematical modelling of complex systems across scientific domains. In recent years, the group has also contributed to solar physics with a focus on the solar dynamo and the long-term variability of solar activity. Their work includes the application of Bayesian inference to constrain parameters of solar dynamo models from radionuclide time series. Moreover, they have proposed a mechanism based on stochastic resonance to explain the occurrence of Grand Minima in solar activity.

ZHAW Institute of Computational Life Sciences (ICLS)

At ICLS, Dr. Simone Ulzega, who is a computational scientist, leads research activities at the intersection of computational physics, high-performance computing and data-driven modelling of complex dynamical systems. His work has a particular focus on Bayesian data science and statistical inference, with an emphasis on the calibration of stochastic models for probabilistic predictions. He has contributed to the development of advanced high-performance algorithms for Bayesian inference for complex stochastic systems, and in recent years he has applied these methods to fundamental questions in solar physics. His contributions include studies of the physical mechanisms underlying the solar dynamo and the long-term variability of the solar magnetic cycle. His work features the application of Bayesian inference techniques to the calibration of stochastic dynamo models using millennial-scale records of cosmogenic radionuclides, as well as the investigation of the recurrence of Grand Minima and their potential impact on the Earth‘s climate. His expertise is directly relevant to EST activities requiring data processing, modelling, and computational methods. 

Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium / World radiation Center (PMOD/WRC)

PMOD/WRC has a long-standing heritage of measuring Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance (TSI and SSI) with a series of space instruments, such as VIRGO on SOHO, PREMOS on PICARD, CLARA on NorSat-1, LYRA on PROBA2, DARA/JTSIM on FY3-E, as well as DARA on PROBA-3. The group led by Dr. Wolfgang Finsterle, including Dr. Margit Haberreiter, investigates physical drivers of solar irradiance variability, which has been a core research topic at the institute starting decades ago. Specifically, the expertise at PMOD/WRC in radiative transfer modelling of the solar atmosphere will be of relevance for EST to improve our understanding of the details of solar irradiance variability at various scales, which in turn is important for the solar-terrestrial research.

UNIBE Institute for Applied Physics (IAP)

Dr. Axel Murk leads the Microwave Physics division at IAP. Their research concerns the development, measurement, and application of quasi-optical components and systems at cm- to submillimeter wavelengths for atmospheric and astrophysical research. Numerical simulations and measurements in amplitude and phase are used to optimize the performance of components and instruments up to the Tera-Hertz range. Solar observations in this range are carried out in collaboration with MeteoSwiss and provide valuable time series of solar irradiance in cm-range. They will contribute to prototyping solar radio- and microwave data and developing a pipeline for a joint analysis of optical, radio/microwave, and UV data from EST and other research infrastructures.

SUPSI Institute of Systems and Applied Electronics (ISEA)

ISEA brings over 25 years of expertise in advanced electronics, optoelectronics, and embedded systems for industrial, medical, and scientific applications. The project will be led by Prof. Daniele Allegri and Prof. Roberto Gardenghi in the Digital Electronics, Microelectronics, and Bio-electronics area, specializing in high-speed data acquisition, real-time signal processing using DSP and FPGA technologies, digital circuit design, and ASIC development with access to state-of-the-art EDA tools and multiple PDKs. ISEA has successfully delivered projects involving optoelectronic devices and IP cores for FPGA and ASIC in both digital and mixed-signal domains. Under the leadership of Prof. Daniele Allegri with industrial experience in FPGA-based embedded solutions and in mixed-signal IC design, the team will leverage its long-standing experience, including 20 years of maintaining and developing ZIMPOL-III polarimeters for IRSOL’s solar research and in the development of high-performance optical inspection systems. 

HEIG-VD/HES-SO Institut d’Automatisation Industrielle (iAi)

HES-SO has played an active role in the field of space technology, contributing significantly to several high-profile scientific missions. Among the schools involved, the School of Engineering and Management of Yverdon-les-Bains (HEIG-VD/HES-SO) has been recognised on the international stage as a leader in the development of optical instruments and adaptive optics for astronomical observation and space exploration. The iAi led by Prof. Laurent Jolissaint develops optics for various applications in physics and astrophysics, including adaptive optics (AO) which is powered by AI and helps correct the blur of atmospheric turbulence to obtain an unlimited view of the Sun and stars. He has earlier contributed to design studies of the EST AO through participation in the EU-funded EST consortia projects. His group will contribute to the design, construction, lab tests and commissioning of the EST telescope polarization calibration unit.

ETHZ Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS)

CSCS develops and operates a high-performance computing (HPC) and data research infrastructure that supports world-class science in Switzerland. Scientific problems demanding large amounts of compute and data, such as those to be addressed by EST, are at the core of the CSCS expertise. Its powerful supercomputing resources (the ALPS Infrastructure) and its expertise is already involved in other international research infrastructures such as CERN, SKAO and CTAO to manage the massive data flows. In addition, CSCS co-develops efficient software for complex calculations, increasing scientific throughput and reducing hardware needs. The CSCS Service & Business Manager Pablo Fernandez leads the CSCS team which will provide support to the Swiss node EST Data Center (CH-DC), such as storage, processing, and open access through the EST vCluster on ALPS.