_________________________________________________________
Request for support for CERN’s next flagship project in the next European
Union Multiannual Financial Framework (2028-2034)
_________________________________________________________
CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is the world’s leading laboratory for high-energy particle
physics. It designs, builds and operates a unique complex of facilities: particle accelerators, particle detectors and
computing infrastructure. The Organization’s 70-year history is adorned with great discoveries - not least that of
the Higgs boson in 2012 - which have crucially contributed to humankind’s understanding of the fundamental
constituents and laws of nature, as well as the structure and evolution of the Universe.
CERN’s ambitious scientific goals and advanced facilities require the development of cutting-edge,
multidisciplinary technologies in many fields, including superconducting magnets and materials, robotics,
electronics, vacuum and cryogenics, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, distributed computing and big
data. These technologies have given Europe and the world high-impact applications and benefits, ranging from
the World Wide Web to accelerators used in cancer treatment facilities. Furthermore, CERN has developed wide-
ranging collaborations with European industry in order to build its complex, sophisticated instruments, as well as
numerous R&D partnerships with major enterprises, small and medium-sized companies and start-ups in
numerous areas of technology. In this way, CERN contributes to the competitiveness of Europe’s industrial
landscape and to boosting European innovation, autonomy, security and sovereignty.
At any given time, the Laboratory is training some 5500 people (physicists, engineers, IT professionals, and
technicians). Most of these young people subsequently find jobs outside particle physics, mostly in industry, other
areas of research, or in the public sector. CERN thus provides European society with a continuous stream of highly
skilled young people trained in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). It also attracts talented
people to Europe and supports the mobility of researchers and other personnel across the continent.
CERN is the shared laboratory of all its Member and Associate Member States and, as such, it offers a platform
of integration and federation of national research institutes, laboratories, universities and industries across
Europe. It thus helps to increase the coordination between different ecosystems and to reinforce the European
Research Area and its cohesion.
CERN is also a brilliant example of international collaboration and European impact beyond its borders, with its
community of some 17 500 people across 110 nationalities, and since its inception it has exemplified the
successful implementation of open science in all its facets.
home.cern 1
CERN has 24 Member States1 and 10 Associate Member States2. All European Union (EU) member countries are
either Member or Associate Member States of CERN, except for Ireland, Luxembourg and Malta3. CERN has also
profound links with non-Membre States such as the United States, Japan and Canada. The EU has the status of
Observer in the CERN Council, and CERN and the European Commission have a longstanding partnership,
particularly in the context of successive Framework Programmes.
Beyond its current programme of research and its main accelerator facility, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), CERN
is currently performing a feasibility study for its potential next flagship project, the Future Circular Collider (FCC).
The FCC would be the most extraordinary instrument ever built by humanity to study the laws of the Universe at
the most fundamental level; its physics objectives include unveiling the composition of dark matter, which makes
up about 25% of the Universe, developing a detailed understanding of the Higgs boson, a very special particle
associated with the origin and possibly also the ultimate fate of the Universe, and searching for new particles and
forces that could help answer other outstanding questions.
Construction and operation of the FCC would secure continued world leadership for Europe in high-energy
particle physics and related advanced technologies until the end of the 21st century. China is considering building
a similar machine. As emphasised in the report by Mario Draghi on the future of European competitiveness, “If
China were to win this race and its circular collider were to start working before CERN’s, Europe would risk losing
its leadership in particle physics, potentially jeopardising CERN’s future.”
The FCC project will be considered for approval by the CERN Council around 2028, if the necessary funding
streams have been identified by that time. The total investment cost of the FCC, including the
91-km tunnel ring, the accelerator and the experiments, is estimated to be around 15 billion Swiss francs in capital
expenditure. The major part of the funding would come from CERN’s regular annual budget.
Additional contributions from outside the CERN budget will be needed and could be provided by countries
outside Europe, in particular the United States, which has already indicated interest in the project, as well as,
potentially, private donors. A significant contribution in the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework (2028-
2034) would also be crucial to a) making the FCC a reality and thereby maintaining European leadership in a
critical area of groundbreaking science and technology; and b) ensuring the project remains predominantly
European in nature.
As Mario Draghi’s report underlines, “Refinancing CERN and ensuring its continued global leadership in frontier
research should be regarded as a top EU priority, given the objective of maintaining European prominence in this
critical area of fundamental research, which is expected to generate significant business spillovers in the coming
years.”
1 CERN's Member States are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary,
Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United
Kingdom.
2 CERN's Associate Member States are Brazil, Croatia, Cyprus, India, Latvia, Lithuania, Pakistan, Slovenia, Türkiye and Ukraine.
3 Ireland will become an Associate Member State in the first half of 2025. Malta has signed a cooperation agreement with CERN in 2008.
Discussions on a possible cooperation agreement are ongoing with Luxembourg, following the partnership agreed upon between the
Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, the UN World Food Programme and CERN in October 2024 on AI to fight hunger.
home.cern 2
Saatja: "Karin Voodla" <
[email protected]>
Saaja: "Info - RAM" <
[email protected]>,
[email protected], "Kadri Lepp - RK" <
[email protected]>
Teema: FW: Letter from the Director-General of CERN Fabiola Gianotti to Prime Minister Mr Kristen Michal
Kuupäev: 2025-06-03 11:43
Tere!
Edastan kirja PMile, mida on palutud ka HTMiga jagada. Kontaktisikuks
CERNi puhul on MKMist Kairi Otto (koopiareal).
Genfi esindusse saabus kiri ka paberkandjal, mille edastame peagi
Tallinnasse.
Tervitades
Karin Voodla
Ms Karin Voodla
Permanent Mission of Estonia
Digital and Cyber Affairs; Disarmament and Arms Control; CERN; UPU, ILO
+41 78 662 68 10
Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 28a, 1209 Geneva
From: DG Office <
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> >
Sent: Friday, May 30, 2025 12:07 PM
To: Esindus Genfis üldaadress (e-mail) <
[email protected]
<mailto:
[email protected]> >
Cc: Riia Salsa <
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> >;
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> ; Kairi Otto
<
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]> >
Subject: Letter from the Director-General of CERN Fabiola Gianotti to
Prime Minister Mr Kristen Michal
Dear Sir, dear Madam,
Please find attached a letter with two explanatory notes from Dr Fabiola
Gianotti to His Excellency, Mr Kristen Michal, Prime Minister of the
Republic of Estonia.
Please could you also send a copy of the letter and explanatory notes to
Her Excellency, Ms Kristina Kallas, Minister of Education and Research of
Estonia.
The original letter and the notes will be sent via diplomatic channel in
the coming days.
Kind regards,
Jodie
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Jodie RIDEWOOD
Assistant to Dr Fabiola Gianotti, Director-General
Office of the Director-General
CERN
CH-1211 Geneva 23
Tel: +41 22 767 51 60
Mob: +41 75 411 02 34
email: <mailto:
[email protected]>
[email protected]
CERN: a model of European
leadership and integration
in science, technology and more
CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research), located on the border
between France and Switzerland, is the world’s largest laboratory for high-
energy particle physics1.
History
CERN was founded in 1954, at the initiative of visionary politicians and scientists, with the twin goals of
re-establishing scientific excellence in Europe after the war and counteracting the brain drain, and fostering
peaceful collaboration among European countries through science. The founding Convention, which established
CERN as a treaty-based intergovernmental Organization, was originally signed by 12 Member States.
Over the 70 years of its history, the Organization has succeeded in establishing Europe as the world leader in
high-energy particle physics and related technologies and in maintaining that position over time.
CERN today
Today, CERN has 24 Member States2,10 Associate Member States3 and 4 Observers4. All member countries of the
European Union (EU) are either Member or Associate Member States of CERN, except for Ireland, Luxembourg
and Malta5. CERN is governed by its Council, which is composed of delegates from its Member and Associate
Member States. The annual budget amounts to some 1.3 billion Swiss francs (BCHF)6.
CERN is one of Europe’s greatest achievements. Not only has it become the world-leading laboratory for
high-energy particle physics, it is also a model of innovation in various fields relevant to society; training and
education of younger generations; strong and mutually beneficial partnerships with industry; open science;
— and worldwide collaboration. In all these aspects CERN plays an important role of integrating its Member and
Associate Member States through its federating mission and objectives.
Founded in 1954 However, CERN’s future is potentially challenged by competition from China.
—
24 Member States Science
— 70 years of scientific research at CERN have led to groundbreaking observations, measurements
and discoveries (notably the Higgs boson, in 2012), which have contributed in a significant way
Budget 1.3 BCHF to humankind’s understanding of the structure and evolution of the Universe. Several CERN
— scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. Currently, CERN runs one of the
largest and most powerful research instruments ever built, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC),
which is housed in a 27-km underground ring, mostly in France.
Technology and innovation
CERN’s mission requires that it constantly push the limits of scientific knowledge and the in
many fields at the innovation frontier and bringing major benefits to society. This is because,
in order to accomplish its ambitious scientific goals, CERN needs to build highly sophisticated
and complex instruments (particle accelerators, particle detectors and advanced computing
infrastructure) and develop breakthrough technologies in many fields, including superconducting
magnets, fast electronics, vacuum, cryogenics, robotics, machine learning, artificial intelligence,
quantum technologies, distributed computing and big data. These technologies are transferred
to society without financial profit7, for the benefit of all. The most famous example of this is the
World Wide Web8. Other more recent examples include accelerators to treat cancer with ions
and electrons, which are complementary to, and in some cases more effective than, conventional
radiotherapy; the PET scanner, which was originally based on instrumentation developed at
CERN; novel radioisotope production for medical imaging and treatment; vacuum technology,
which is also used to build solar panels; superconducting cables for electric power transmission
without losses; superconducting magnets for medical and nuclear fusion applications; and
artificial intelligence for climate monitoring and modelling and for self-driving cars.
Relations with industry
Every year, CERN spends about 500 MCHF in mostly high-tech supply and service contracts
with firms in its Member and Associate Member States, adjudicated through a competitive
process, as well as in R&D partnerships with industry. As CERN requires many technologies that
do not yet exist, it often develops them in-house, in collaboration with trail-blazing industries
in the respective domain; once the technology has been mastered, series production is then
transferred to industry. CERN is, therefore, a driver of innovation and has partnerships with
industry that extend far beyond the simple client-supplier relationship. Indeed, European firms
place a premium on collaboration with CERN, because its exacting requirements enhance their
growth, quality, innovation and reputation, and the competencies gained are then passed down
the line to other companies, fields and clients.
In addition, CERN has many collaborations mainly with European industry for the application
of its innovative technologies outside particle physics. Recent examples include a cooperation
agreement with Airbus for the use of CERN’s high-temperature superconducting current
leads for electric aircrafts; cooperation with a company in the Volvo group to deploy CERN’s
artificial intelligence and electronic developments for self-driving cars; and cooperation with
MARS Bioimaging for the development of high-resolution medical imaging devices using CERN
electronics. Moreover, CERN technologies currently underpin the activities of more than 30 start-
ups.
Training and capacity building
At any moment in time, CERN is training some 5500 young people, including technicians and
engineers across a large spectrum of competencies, IT professionals and physicists at the
undergraduate, PhD and postdoc levels. Most of these people subsequently find jobs
— outside particle physics, about 50% of them in industry and the others in academia and other
public institutions. CERN thus provides society with a continuous stream of talents in science,
Groundbreaking scientific technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), trained in a leading scientific laboratory and a
discoveries truly international environment.
—
Web, accelerators to treat Worldwide collaboration
Some 17 500 people from all around the world work at CERN, representing more than
cancer, PET scanner 110 nationalities. Some come from countries in conflict, others from developing regions. For the
— latter, CERN represents an invaluable opportunity to access training and cutting-science and
500 MCHF spent in technology.
European high-tech
industry every year Public engagement education and outreach
CERN has a broad portfolio of initiatives aimed at inspiring the next generation of scientists,
— educating school students and teachers and, more generally, disseminating scientific knowledge
1232 high-tech and understanding to society. Every year, CERN’s teacher programmes train about 1000 high
superconducting magnets school teachers. The IdeaSquare@CERN platform hosts teams of young European innovators
and future entrepreneurs who harness CERN technologies to address societal challenges.
manufactured for LHC by Furthermore, with the advent of the CERN Science Gateway, the Organization’s new flagship
European industry facility for scientific education and outreach, which opened to the public in October 2023, the
— number of visitors has increased from 150 000 people per year to almost 400 000 people from
175 countries in 2024.
5500 young people trained
at any moment Integration of activities in the Member and Associate Member States
— Since its foundation, CERN plays an important role of creating synergies between its Member
17 500 people of and Associate Member States via its mission and objectives, acting like the shared laboratory of
all its Member and Associate Member States. This role covers not only science but all aspects
110 nationalities work at of CERN’s mission, including technology and innovation, partnership with industry, training,
CERN education and outreach. For example, between 2001 and 2006, under CERN’s supervision, three
— leading European companies (Alstom in France, Ansaldo in Italy and Babcock-Noell in Germany)
manufactured 1232 high-tech, new-generation superconducting magnets for the LHC, working
closely together to exchange knowledge and experience in this unprecedented technology.
Relations between CERN and the European
Commission
Over the years, CERN and the European Commission (EC) have built up a strong relationship based on common
objectives and shared values, including the promotion of scientific and technological progress, training
and education, integration of European countries, collaboration across borders and open science. The EU,
represented by the EC, has the status of Observer in the CERN Council.
—
1000 high school teachers The existing collaborations, which are based on the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe
programmes, are extremely fruitful for CERN and the EC, as well as for the industrial and
trained each year academic partners involved. EC funding of some 10 million euros per year supports these
— collaborations. As CERN begins to plan its next flagship project (described below), a more
400 000 visitors per year substantial involvement of the EU would be both crucial and appropriate, in order to maintain
European leadership in a critical area of science and technology, and considering both the
from 175 countries potential scientific, technological and societal spin-offs for Europe and the close alignment of
— CERN’s goals and values with those of the EU.
FCC 91 km ring
—
53 BCHF invested in CERN CERN’s future
by Member States to this
CERN’s core mission is to design, build and operate powerful particle accelerators and other high-tech
date infrastructure to accomplish its scientific goal of understanding the fundamental laws and constituents of the
— Universe. The current flagship facility, the LHC, will operate until 2041. The LHC has brought about a shift of
world leadership in high-energy particle physics from the United States to Europe and has more than doubled
the size of the international scientific community working at CERN. Given that CERN’s ambitious projects have
very long lead times (20-30 years), plans for the next facility are already starting to be laid.
In June 2020, the CERN Council updated the European Strategy for Particle Physics, the
roadmap of the field, which is drawn up every 6-7 years. One of the main conclusions of that
process was that the Future Circular Collider (FCC), a 91-km ring housing an electron-positron
collider initially, and then a hadron collider, has the greatest scientific potential, and the CERN
Management was thus mandated to perform a feasibility study that will be completed in 2025.
The EC supported this study through a H2020 grant9. The final decision on whether or not to
go ahead with the construction of the FCC should be taken by the CERN Council around 2028,
also based on the funding prospects. Construction would then start in the early 2030s and
physics exploitation would take place over the period 2045-2090. The FCC would thus maintain
Europe’s leadership in particle physics until the end of the century. The main physics objectives
include unveiling the composition of dark matter (which makes up about 25% of the Universe),
developing a detailed understanding of the Higgs boson, which is a very special particle related
to the origin and possibly the fate of the Universe, and searching for new particles and forces
that could help answer other outstanding questions.
Over the past 70 years, CERN’s Member States have invested more than 53 BCHF in the
Laboratory. This has given rise to unique scientific and technical infrastructure and personnel
expertise, which today constitute the most solid of foundations for the next project. In addition, it
is important to underline that CERN has an excellent record of building ambitious projects within
budget, i.e. with cost escalations of less than 20%.
China is also considering building a similar accelerator. The Chinese authorities are fully aware of
the scientific potential of such a facility, of the wide spectrum of cutting-edge technologies it will
foster, of the workforce it will train and of the size of the community it will attract from all
over the world. If China goes ahead with its circular collider project before CERN, Europe would
likely lose its leadership in particle physics.
The total investment cost of the FCC 91-km tunnel and the first-stage collider is estimated to
be around 15 BCHF in capital expenditure. The ongoing feasibility study needs to demonstrate,
among other key goals, that the project is financially viable. The major source of funding will be
the annual CERN budget. However, additional contributions from outside the CERN budget will
be needed and could be provided by non-Member States that are historic partners of CERN (in
particular the United States) as well as, potentially, private donors.
A significant contribution in the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF, 2028-
2034) would also be crucial to make the project become a reality and to ensure it remains
predominantly European in nature. As mentioned in Mario Draghi’s recent report “The future of
European competitiveness”, “refinancing CERN and ensuring its continued global leadership in frontier
research should be regarded as a top EU priority, given the objective of maintaining European prominence in
this critical area of fundamental research, which is expected to generate significant business spillovers in the
coming years”. In the past, the EU has demonstrated its ability to finance large-scale, strategic
projects offering great potential for European competitiveness (e.g. Copernicus, Galileo, ITER).
CERN plans to develop the FCC project in close collaboration with its principal stakeholders,
including the EC if it becomes a significant partner.
The FCC development and implementation will require significant technological advances
through strategic R&D programmes between CERN, academia, research centres and industry
in cutting-edge fields. The project will also be a model for environment-aware, sustainable
research. Previous and current projects at CERN have had huge socio-economic benefits and a
detailed assessment of the FCC’s socio-economic impact is being carried out in the context of
the feasibility study.
CONCLUSION
Over the past 70 years, the Organization has succeeded in establishing Europe as the world
— leader in high-energy particle physics, and has been playing an increasingly strong role in
other domains that are highly relevant to Europe’s agenda, innovation, sovereignty, security
FCC feasibility study
and autonomy: CERN is a driver of many cutting-edge technologies, with wide applications for
completed in 2025 society; it is a major hub for STEM training and education; an example of successful partnership
— between fundamental research and industry; a platform for environmentally conscious and
sustainable science; and a brilliant model of European integration and collaboration across
borders.
At CERN’s 70th anniversary ceremony on 1 October 2024, the EC President Ursula von der
Leyen stated that “CERN is the living proof that science fosters innovation and that innovation fosters
competitiveness”.
Mario Draghi’s report on “The future of European competitiveness” underlines that “the success
story of CERN exemplifies both the exceptional opportunities that could be missed without proper EU-level
coordination and the potential for effective coordination among the Member States” and that “if China were
to win the race and its circular collider were to start before CERN’s, Europe would risk losing its leadership in
particle physics, potentially jeopardizing CERN’s future.”
As CERN prepares to develop its next flagship project, the Future Circular Collider, expanding its
multi-faceted mission and consolidating Europe’s leadership and values, a significant financial
contribution from the European Union in the next MFF (2028-2034) would help stave off the
competition from China and ensure a bright future for this unique European institution until at
least the end of the 21st century.
1
Particle physics is the most fundamental of all sciences, as it studies the partnership agreed upon between the Luxembourg Institute of Science and
smallest, indivisible constituents of matter and the Universe. Technology, the UN World Food Programme and CERN in October 2024 on AI to
2
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, fight hunger.
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland,
6
The CERN budget is provided by all Member States, based on their net national
Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the income. Associate Member States typically contribute 10% of what their share
United Kingdom. France and Switzerland are CERN’s Host States. would be if they were Member States and do not have voting rights in the
3
Brazil, Croatia, Cyprus, India, Latvia, Lithuania, Pakistan, Slovenia, Türkiye and Council.
Ukraine.
7
The concept of open science is enshrined in CERN’s founding Convention.
4
European Union, UNESCO, Japan, United States of America.
8
The web was developed at CERN in the late 1980s by Tim Berners-Lee, then a
5
Ireland will become an Associate Member State in the first half of 2025. Malta CERN employee.
has signed a cooperation agreement with CERN in 2008. Discussions on a
9
FCC Innovation Study, H2020-INFRADEV, grant agreement 951754, with a
possible cooperation agreement are ongoing with Luxembourg, following the financial contribution of about 3 million euros from the EC.
©CERN, April_2025