Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless TD has today attended a signing ceremony at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) headquarters to agree Ireland’s Associate Membership of the organisation. The Minister’s signature signals Ireland’s commitment to join the world-leading research organisation and marks an important step in the process of joining.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Lawless said: “I am delighted to have signed this Associate Membership Agreement with CERN. This represents the culmination of significant work by the Government and CERN, building on the excellence of the Irish physics community.
“As an associate member of one of the world’s most significant research organisations, Ireland will have an opportunity to gain access to excellent research, innovation, collaboration and industry contracts.
“This long-term international commitment to our scientific community will demonstrate the Irish Government’s continued and expanding support of Ireland’s participation in leading global research collaborations.
“I look forward to working with my colleagues in Government and stakeholders over the coming period to finalise Ireland’s associate membership status and maximise the opportunities presented by the process.”
Associate membership of CERN will bring benefits to Ireland across research, industry, skills, science outreach and international relations. It will open doors for Ireland’s researchers to participate in CERN’s scientific programmes and will make Irish citizens eligible for staff positions and fellowships at CERN. It will also be possible for Irish citizens to access CERN’s formal training schemes and develop skills in industry-relevant areas such as electronics, photonics, materials, energy systems and software.
Membership will also allow Ireland’s enterprises to compete in CERN procurement programmes. Much of CERN’s instrumentation and equipment requires the development or exploitation of novel technologies, which spurs enterprise innovation. Many of these technologies have applications in other spheres such as medicine, space, energy and ICT.
Today’s signing ceremony was opened by the Director of International Relations at CERN, Ms Charlotte Lindberg Warakaulle, followed by some words welcoming Ireland’s membership of the organisation from the Director-General of CERN, Dr Fabiola Gianotti. Minister Lawless then signed the Associate Membership Agreement on behalf of Ireland, and Dr Gianotti signed on behalf of CERN.
Minister Lawless also had the opportunity to visit the ISOLDE facility, a key experimental infrastructure supporting fundamental research in particle physics and radiobiology.
Ireland applied for Associate Membership of CERN in November 2023. Subject to funding requirements and Dáil approval, it is expected that Ireland will complete the accession process this year.
