The French-Spanish Laboratory for Astrophysics in Canarias (FSLAC), is a joint international research Laboratory between the French CNRS and the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC).

This new structure builds on the collaboration that began in the 1980s with the decision to install the French THEMIS telescope in Tenerife. The scientific cooperation agreement providing for the creation of FSLAC was signed on March 15th, 2021. FSLAC is jointly supervised by the two organizations.

Within CNRS, FSLAC has the structure name IRL2009. CNRS IRLs are international schemes in which research work is jointly conducted around a shared scientific focus. They structure, within an identified location, the significant and lasting presence of scientists from a limited number of French and foreign research institutions.

Three major scientific projects are outlined in the FSLAC agreement:

• participation in the future Cherenkov Telescope Array in the Canary Islands for astronomy;
• use of the THEMIS telescope and the next generation of telescopes for solar physics studies;
• the development of a spectrometer on the QUIJOTE telescope for observing the cosmic microwave background.

Ramon Garcia Lopez, FSLAC director, high-energy astrophysicist
Bernard Gelly, FSLAC deputy-director, solar physicist
Richard Drouet, Optomechanics engineer
Didier Laforgue, Software & command-control engineer
Fabia Acero, high-energy astrophysicist
Etienne Pariat, solar physicist

• Switchbacks: Could Solar Jets Hold the Key? : Sorbonne Université press release on the publication of an article with FSLAC implication
  
• Publication of 'Le Grand Atlas du Soleil', with the participation of a FSLAC researcher.

CNRS explanatory sheets (pdf) about International Research Laboratories