The decision made by the CERN Council was largely due to the strong political support given by President Dalia Grybauskaitė for encouraging Lithuania’s cooperation with the prestigious research organization. This past January, the President met with Fabiola Gianotti, Director-General of CERN, to discuss conditions for partnership.
The European Organization for Nuclear Research employs the most talented scientists on the planet and carries out unique scientific experiments that can change the future of humankind. Membership in CERN would offer Lithuanian researchers a huge opportunity to contribute to the world’s biggest and best inventions, opening new avenues for Lithuanian businesses to participate in million-worth public tenders. It will bring significant economic gains to the people of Lithuania by promoting innovation, growth, competitiveness, and job creation.
At the present moment, CERN operates 170 data centers in 40 countries of the world with 2 million jobs on their list.
Lithuania submitted an application for associate membership at the beginning of 2016. Fifteen Lithuanians currently work at CERN. Last year, 32 teachers and lecturers from Lithuania did internship there.
Few countries have CERN membership. It now has 21 member states and 2 associated members. Membership in CERN is directly linked to membership in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) which places special focus on innovation.
CERN – located on the Franco-Swiss border – has built the world’s largest particle accelerator. The Higgs boson was discovered there. Physicists at CERN are seeking answers to questions about the universe.
