Pakistan becomes associate member of CERN

Published August 1, 2015
Pakistan has thus become the first member of CERN among Asian countries, PAEC announces.—AFP/File
Pakistan has thus become the first member of CERN among Asian countries, PAEC announces.—AFP/File

ISLAMABAD: The European Organisation for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, has formally conferred its associate membership on Pakistan, following completion of required internal ratification process by it.

Pakistan has thus become the first member of CERN among Asian countries, said a press statement issued by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) on Friday.

The associate membership will open a new era of cooperation that will strengthen the long-term partnership between CERN and the Pakistani scientific community.

Also read: Pakistan becomes associate member of CERN lab

Pakistan can now participate in the governance of CERN, by attending meetings of its council.

The membership will allow the country’s scientists to become members of the CERN staff and participate in its training and career-development programmes.

It will also allow the Pakistani industry to bid for CERN contracts, thus opening up opportunities for industrial collaboration in areas of advanced technology.

The cooperation between Pakistan and CERN rooted back to signing of a cooperation agreement in 1994. After Pakistan sought membership back in 2013, CERN sent its task force to evaluate the country’s science and technology base and industrial capabilities in early 2014.

The task force was mandated to evaluate the membership application on three fronts: existence of solid basis in elementary particle physics, sufficiently developed industries and the will of the national authority to support the basic research.

The CERN task force on all three accounts concluded that Pakistan fulfils the criteria and on Sept 18, 2014, CERN Council unanimously approved Pakistan’s membership application.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play

Opinion

Editorial

Defining extremism
Updated 18 Mar, 2024

Defining extremism

Redefining extremism may well be the first step to clamping down on advocacy for Palestine.
Climate in focus
18 Mar, 2024

Climate in focus

IN a welcome order by the Supreme Court, the new government has been tasked with providing a report on actions taken...
Growing rabies concern
18 Mar, 2024

Growing rabies concern

DOG-BITE is an old problem in Pakistan. Amid a surfeit of public health challenges, rabies now seems poised to ...
Provincial share
Updated 17 Mar, 2024

Provincial share

PPP has aptly advised Centre to worry about improving its tax collection rather than eying provinces’ share of tax revenues.
X-communication
17 Mar, 2024

X-communication

IT has now been a month since Pakistani authorities decided that the country must be cut off from one of the...
Stateless humanity
17 Mar, 2024

Stateless humanity

THE endless hostility between India and Pakistan has reduced prisoners to mere statistics. Although the two ...