"This is one of the most important institutes in its field and it is a meeting point for the international astronomy community. Its Research Program includes both research and technological development projects. It has two astronomy observatories. It concurrently coordinates its work with the Canary Islands Giant Telescope, whose construction is being completed at this time. This is the biggest research project in Spain and the telescope is the most advanced of its kind in the world. This project places an instrument at the disposal of national and international researches that will develop the opportunities provided by the most modern observation techniques.

The IAC develops a large part of the technology used in its research. The Instrumentation Department is responsible for the design, development and manufacture of the instruments necessary for astrophysical observation.

The Astrophysical Institute of the Canary Islands (IAC) is a public consortium made up of the Central Administration (Ministry of Science and Technology), the Canary Islands Autonomous Community, the University of La Laguna and the Council for Scientific Research.

The international observatories of Mount Teide (Tenerife) and Roque de los Muchachos (La Palma) constitute the European Northern Observatory (ENO), at which over sixty scientific institutions from nineteen countries have installed their astronomical instruments."

Source: Self-entry in August 2007.