Ireland is on track to become an Associate Member of CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, following Cabinet approval of the final legal steps today.

The move will grant Irish researchers, students, and businesses access to the world’s leading particle physics laboratory and its global scientific networks.

The announcement was made jointly by Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Harris TD, and Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless TD.

Ireland’s Associate Membership, due to begin in October, will unlock new opportunities for participation in CERN’s cutting-edge research programmes. It also opens the door to staff positions, fellowships, and advanced training schemes in fields such as electronics, photonics, energy systems, and software. Irish companies will be eligible to compete for CERN contracts, tapping into a pipeline of innovation that has yielded technologies such as the World Wide Web.

The Government has now signed off on the necessary legal instruments, including the CERN Protocol on Privileges and Immunities. The final procedural steps include notifying CERN’s Director-General and lodging an Instrument of Accession with UNESCO.

Minister Lawless described Associate Membership as a long-standing national ambition and confirmed that an expert advisory group will soon be established to guide Ireland’s engagement with CERN. “Joining CERN is only the beginning,” he said, pledging to ensure that Ireland maximises the benefits of its participation.

CERN, founded in 1954 and based near Geneva, is home to the Large Hadron Collider—the world’s most powerful particle accelerator. The discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 was among its most famous scientific breakthroughs. CERN currently has 25 Member States and eight Associate Members.

Ireland’s membership fee will be €1.9 million annually, beginning in 2025 and subject to indexation.