CERN

At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. 

• They use the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments like LHC (Large Hadron Collider) to study the basic constituents of matter – the fundamental particles.
• The particles are made to collide together at close to the speed of light.
• The process gives the physicists clues about how the particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature.

• The instruments used at CERN are purpose-built particle accelerators and detectors.
  • Accelerators boost beams of particles to high energies before the beams are made to collide with each other or with stationary targets.
  • Detectors observe and record the results of these collisions.

• Founded in 1954, the CERN laboratory is located at the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva. It was one of Europe's first joint ventures and now has 22 member states.

CERN convention:-

The CERN convention was signed in 1953 by the 12 founding states Belgium, Denmark, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Yugoslavia, and entered into force on 29 September 1954. 

• Today CERN has 22 member states. 
• Serbia and Cyprus are associate members in the pre-stage to membership, and 
• Turkey, Pakistan, Ukraine and India are associate members.
• Member states have special duties and privileges. They make a contribution to the capital and operating costs of CERN’s programmes, and are represented in the council, responsible for all important decisions about the organization and its activities.

Some states (or international organizations) for which membership is either not possible or not yet feasible are observers.

• 'Observer' status allows non-member states to attend council meetings and to receive council documents, without taking part in the decision-making procedures of the organization.
• Observer states and organizations currently involved in CERN programmes include the European Commission, Japan, the Russian Federation, UNESCO and the USA.

Use of CERN Laboratory and Co-operation:-

• Over 600 institutes and universities around the world use CERN’s facilities. 
• Funding agencies from both member and non-member states are responsible for the financing, construction and operation of the experiments on which they collaborate.
• CERN spends much of its budget on building machines such as the Large Hadron Collider and it only partially contributes to the cost of the experiments.