Ireland’s recent Associate Membership at CERN has opened doors for Irish engineers to work on major European engineering projects and tender for high-value contracts, according to Engineers Ireland, the representative body for the engineering profession.
A delegation from Engineers Ireland recently completed a high-level visit to CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, reinforcing Ireland’s growing engagement with one of the world’s most significant scientific and engineering centres.
The visit follows Ireland’s recent accession as an Associate Member State of CERN and provided Engineers Ireland representatives with the opportunity to engage directly with CERN engineers, technical experts, and project leaders working at the forefront of global science and innovation.
Importantly, this recent accession to CERN Associate Membership means that Irish engineers, including engineering graduates, may now be employed by CERN, while Irish engineering firms can tender for CERN contracts on the basis of Associate Membership. CERN spent in excess of €600m on procurement in 2024.
Pictured L-R: Robert Grimmer, Electronic Engineer at CERN, Damien Owens, Director General, John Jordan, President, Engineers Ireland, CERN Special Advisor for Relations with Ireland, Martin Gastal.
During the visit, the delegation gained insight into the scale and complexity of CERN’s operations, where engineering underpins nearly every aspect of discovery. While CERN is best known for its fundamental physics research, it employs ten times more engineers and technicians than research physicists, spanning disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, civil, software and systems engineering.
The visit highlighted how Ireland’s established strengths in highly regulated, precision-driven sectors, including medical devices, pharmaceuticals, semiconductor wafer production and cleanroom technologies, align strongly with the demanding technical standards of CERN and other Big Science organisations.
CERN Special Advisor for Relations with Ireland, Martin Gastal, said: “Ireland’s accession to Associate Member at CERN brings new engineering capability into our community. Ireland’s engineering strengths are highly relevant to CERN’s programmes and infrastructure, and this visit marks an important step in translating membership into meaningful participation for Irish engineers, researchers and companies. We look forward to supporting Ireland’s integration into CERN and seeing Irish expertise contribute to projects and technological innovation at the very forefront of discovery.”
Engineers Ireland has long advocated for Ireland’s involvement in major international research infrastructures. The organisation formally supported Ireland’s pursuit of CERN membership in 2014, recognising that the absence of membership limited access to vital research, training and commercial opportunities for Irish engineers and companies.
Commenting on the visit, Damien Owens, Director General of Engineers Ireland, said: “Visiting CERN brings into sharp focus the central role engineering plays in advancing global science. Ireland’s Associate Membership of CERN, and visits such as this ensure Irish engineers are not just observers, but contributors to the technologies shaping our future. This is a significant step in strengthening Ireland’s engineering capability, international standing and innovation ecosystem.”
