India to become associate member state of CERN

The European Organization for Nuclear Research(CERN) announced India will join CERN as an associate member state, after the two sides inked an agreement on Monday.

"India has been putting efforts to design, develop and utilize various types of electron and proton accelerators for scientific, industrial and societal use," said Sekhar Basu, Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) of Government of India.

"Becoming associate member of CERN will enhance participation of young scientists and engineers in various CERN projects and bring back knowledge for deployment in the domestic programs. It will also provide opportunities to Indian industries to participate directly in CERN projects," he added.

CERN Director General, Fabiola Gianotti, hailed India's role as a strong partner in CERN's scientific activities for over 50 years.

"For instance, Indian physicists, engineers and technicians have made substantial contributions to the construction of the LHC accelerator and to the ALICE and CMS experiments, as well as to accelerator R&D projects. I am very happy to welcome India as a new associate member state and I'm looking forward to enhanced cooperation on CERN's exciting scientific and technology programs," he said.

The government of India still needs to notify CERN of its final approval for the agreement to enter into force.

India and CERN signed a cooperation agreement in 1991, setting priorities for scientific and technical cooperation, followed by the signature of several protocols. India was granted observer status to the CERN Council in 2002. Endit