Thursday 23 October 2025

This week, Engineers Ireland celebrated Ireland’s accession as an Associate Member State of CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, marking a historic milestone for Irish science and engineering.

This achievement follows years of advocacy, in part by Engineers Ireland, including a formal letter of support sent to Government in 2014, urging Ireland to seize the opportunity to join CERN as Ireland was missing access to vital research opportunities for Irish engineers and scientists.

Significance for Irish engineers
While CERN is globally renowned for its groundbreaking physics research, it employs ten times more engineers and technicians than research physicists. Ireland’s membership opens doors for:

• Irish engineers to participate in world-class projects and training schemes.
• Irish companies to tender for high-value contracts in precision manufacturing, software, photonics, and advanced systems.
• Students and graduates to access CERN’s Graduate Engineering Training Scheme and fellowships.

Membership of CERN also positions Ireland to engage with other major international collaborations in fusion energy, space exploration, and advanced high-tech innovation, reinforcing our reputation for engineering excellence.

Ireland already excels in highly regulated, precision-driven sectors such as medical devices, pharmaceuticals, semiconductor wafer production and cleanroom technology. These industries demonstrate the technical capability and quality standards in Ireland, expertise that can be leveraged to meet the demanding requirements of Big Science organisations like CERN and beyond.

"Ireland’s membership of CERN is a landmark moment for our engineering community. Big Science projects like CERN are built on engineering ingenuity, and this step ensures Irish engineers and companies can play a leading role in shaping the technologies of tomorrow." — Damien Owens, Chartered Engineer, Director General, Engineers Ireland