The latest measurement of the muon g-2 announced at Fermilab exhibits a large discrepancy from the currently accepted Standard Model prediction. The main source of uncertainty on the theoretical value is represented by the leading order hadronic contribution (a_HLO), which is traditionally determined through a data-driven dispersive approach. Recently, discrepancies have arisen among various data-driven evaluations, and many are also at odds with lattice QCD calculations. To resolve these tensions, an independent crosscheck would be highly valuable.
The MUonE experiment proposes a novel approach to determine a_HLO by measuring the running of the electromagnetic coupling constant via muon-electron elastic scattering in the space-like region. The measurement will be performed by using a 160 GeV muon beam at CERN. This talk will discuss the current status of the experiment in preparation for the Test Run.