Estonia becomes 24th member state of CERN

TALLINN - Estonia officially becomes a full member of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) on Friday, being the first of the three Baltic countries to obtain this status.

Full membership grants Estonia voting rights in CERN's highest decision-making body and boosts opportunities for Estonian companies to secure contracts at CERN. It also enhances the chances for Estonian citizens to work at CERN. This milestone comes after three decades of collaboration, concluding the formal application process that began in 2018.

President Alar Karis said in a press release that Estonia is very pleased to obtain full membership in CERN.

"CERN accelerates not only particles, but also international scientific cooperation and economic development. We have already seen these opportunities as an associate member, but now Estonia is ready to fully contribute and participate in the organization's science, technology and business cooperation," Karis said. 

Erkki Keldo, Estonia's minister of economic affairs and industry, said full membership in CERN opens up new opportunities for cooperation for our businesses and researchers.

"With the status of a full member of CERN, the financial volume restrictions that have hampered the participation of Estonian companies in CERN's procurements will disappear. It is worth noting that, in addition to the high-tech sector, our industry, as well as a number of support services companies that have, for example, helped organize conferences, has already worked with that organization. Many other sectors are therefore also benefiting from CERN," the minister said.

Keldo described CERN as a rich pool of resources for technology-intensive and knowledge-intensive companies to develop and grow.

"In addition, Estonia has a vibrant startup ecosystem, with increasing investment in deep tech solutions -- these are Estonia's strengths, which we can add value to as a voting member of CERN," he added.

Bilateral relations between Estonia and CERN got their start in 1996, when the first cooperation agreement was signed. A second such agreement, which further developed their scientific and technical cooperation, was concluded between the parties in 2010. On June 19, 2020, the parties signed an agreement on granting Estonia the status of an associated member in the pre-stage to membership. Estonia's associate membership in CERN came into effect on Feb. 1, 2021.

Estonia is widely involved in CERN's research programs, and has been involved in Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) collaboration since 1997. The Estonian CMS team participates in data analysis and Worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG), for which Estonia manages a Tier 2 center in Tallinn. Estonian scientists are also contributing to other experiments, including CLOUD, COMPASS, NA66, and i.Fast and studies with a view to future colliders, such as CLIC and Future Circular Collider (FCC).