Institut de radioastronomie millimétrique

Institut de Radioastronomie Millimetrique (IRAM) is an international research institute and Europe's leading center for radio astronomy at millimeter wavelengths. Its mission is to explore the universe, study its origins and its evolution with two of the most advanced radio facilities in the world:

• The NOEMA observatory (NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array), an array of currently eleven 15-meter antennas located in the French Alps on the Plateau de Bure at more than 2550 meters above sea level. NOEMA is the most powerful millimeter observatory of the Northern Hemisphere.
• The IRAM 30-meter telescope, located at 2850 meters altitude on Pico Veleta in the Spanish Sierra Nevada (Andalucia, Spain). The telescope is the world's premier single-dish facility for astronomical research in the millimeter wavelength range.

Both sites are at high altitude to reduce the absorption by water vapour in Earth's atmosphere.

The telescopes are supported by the IRAM offices and laboratories in Granada and Grenoble, respectively. The IRAM headquarters are on the campus of Université Grenoble Alpes near Grenoble. More than 120 scientists, engineers, technicians and administrative personnel work for the IRAM organization. The institute's laboratories cover the complete field of high frequency technology. IRAM staff develop cutting edge technology for the IRAM facilities and to the benefit of the international astronomical community.