The European research infrastructure project FOREST *Fibre-based Optical netwoRk for European Science and Technology* has been selected by the ESFRI Forum for inclusion in the ESFRI 2026 Roadmap.
This project is coordinated by Christian Chardonnet, a research director at the CNRS, former director of the Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers (LPL) from 1998 to 2004, and still a member of the LPL’s MMTF team. He launched the REFIMEVE project in 2012, which was granted the status of a national research infrastructure in 2021. It has effectively become the French component of FOREST.
To date, the project consortium brings together GÉANT and 60 stakeholders from 17 countries. It is supported by 13 ministries representing 10 governments, major European institutions such as EURAMET and the JRC, as well as European research infrastructures including CERN, ESRF, LOFAR, JIVE, and EPOS.
The national metrology institutes (NMIs) and national research and education networks (NRENs) involved in FOREST use their atomic clocks and fibre-optic networks to distribute extremely precise time and frequency signals to a wide community of users. The fields covered by FOREST include metrology, fundamental physics, astrophysics and geodesy, as well as several sectors with significant societal impact, such as quantum communications, seismology, ocean monitoring and infrastructure monitoring.
Backed by more than 20 companies, the FOREST project offers considerable potential for innovation. It will foster strong and sustainable partnerships with industry.
Sorbonne Paris Nord University has agreed to host FOREST’s headquarters.