https://arab.news/m93dt
- Delegation from CERN, which runs world’s largest particle accelerator, visits Pakistani research institutes
- Pakistan joined CERN in 2015, gaining access to global projects, training and technology transfer
ISLAMABAD: A high-level delegation from the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has completed a five-day visit to Pakistan to review the country’s progress as an associate member, the foreign ministry said on Friday.
CERN, based in Geneva, Switzerland, is the world’s leading particle physics laboratory, best known for operating the Large Hadron Collider — the largest and most powerful particle accelerator in the world. The institution was founded in 1954 by European nations on the principle of “Science for Peace” and today counts 25 full members and nine associate members, including Pakistan.
“Through its Associate Membership, Pakistan has gained significant benefits — advancing the frontiers of scientific knowledge, fostering technological development, and training a new generation of scientists and engineers,” the ministry said in a statement.
The five-member CERN team met with the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and toured a number of institutions between Aug. 24–28.
These included the National Center for Physics (NCP), Heavy Mechanical Complex-3 (HMC-3), Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH), Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Oncology (INMOL), and the National Institute for Laser and Optronics (NILOP).
Pakistan became an associate member of CERN on July 31, 2015, with PAEC designated as the lead coordinating agency for the collaboration. Pakistani scientists and engineers have since contributed to CERN’s experiments and technology development while gaining training and access to high-tech procurement programs.
The visit underlined Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen international scientific partnerships and build domestic research capacity at a time when the country seeks to expand its technological base.