Cabinet to hear proposals for Ireland to join nuclear research organisation

The membership fee for CERN can cost a country up to €10m a year

Simon Harris previously visited Geneva in June to see the work of CERN, attending the site of the Large Hadron Collider.

Proposals for Ireland to join a European nuclear research organisation, CERN, will go to Cabinet in the coming weeks, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris has confirmed.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Mr Harris said that he would seek Government permission to join the research body shortly. “At a European level, I think Ireland needs to join that and that’s an important measure,” Mr Harris said.

“We’re only one of a very, very small number of countries that aren’t in CERN."

On the cost of membership, Mr Harris said that there are two elements: a direct membership fee and then an expectation that budgets allocated to physics research would increase.

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The membership fee can cost a country up to €10m annually.

Mr Harris previously visited Geneva in June to see the work of CERN, attending the site of the Large Hadron Collider.

Membership of CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, would allow Irish researchers to work within the organisation’s scientific programmes and permit Irish citizens to apply for staff positions and fellowships at the body.

The European agency currently has 23 members, including Israel.

Speaking previously, CERN’s director-general Dr Fabiola Gianotti said that she wants to see Ireland join the research organisation.