Image Credit: NPL
The Fibre-based Optical netwoRk for European Science and Technology (FOREST) project has been included in the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) Roadmap 2026, marking a significant milestone for Europe’s next generation of timing, quantum and measurement science infrastructure.
FOREST is one of only six new projects selected for inclusion in the 2026 roadmap, reflecting its strategic importance to Europe’s scientific and technological ambitions. The project will establish a pan-European research infrastructure capable of distributing ultra-precise time and frequency signals through interconnected optical fibre networks, linking national infrastructures across the continent.
The UK’s National Metrology Institute and AIRTO member NPL has partnered with AIRTO member Jisc, the UK’s provider of digital infrastructure for education and research, and operator of the Janet network and advanced optical fibre infrastructure. They will play a key role in the initiative, building on existing national investments in fibre-based timing infrastructure. The project will enable researchers to compare the world’s most advanced atomic clocks continuously and deliver the synchronisation capabilities required for leading-edge research and innovation.
