The IRIS project is a new national research infrastructure dedicated to advancing applied superconductivity in Italy. Built within the PNRR framework and coordinated by INFN, it integrates six specialized nodes—LASA-Milan, Genoa, Frascati, Naples, Lecce, and Salerno—covering the full chain from materials and cable R&D to large-scale magnet testing. With state-of-the-art facilities for superconducting magnets, materials characterization, cryogenics, and diagnostics, IRIS supports both fundamental studies and industrial-scale prototypes. Two flagship demonstrators, the MgB₂-based Green Superconducting Line (1-GW class) and the REBCO-based ESMA 10-T dipole magnet, showcase IRIS’s technological ambition. Beyond research, the infrastructure acts as a national training hub and a driver of innovation across energy, accelerators, aerospace, and medical technologies.