Walton Institute joins a delegation to European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)

Dr Deirdre Kilbane, Director of Research at Walton Institute South East Technological University (SETU) and project lead for IrelandQCI, joined Ireland’s Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, in Geneva on 19th February, on an official visit to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN.)

The Minister and a group of 20 invited delegates visited CERN to build relationships for a fruitful collaboration in anticipation of Ireland joining as an Associate Member State. Minister Lawless met with senior officials at CERN including the Director-General, Dr Fabiola Gianotti, and the Director of International Relations, Ms Charlotte Lindberg Warakaulle to discuss the opportunities that Associate Membership will bring for Ireland and CERN.

Of the important visit, Minister Lawless said ”Associate Membership of CERN has long been a national goal, and it is a pleasure to work on bringing Ireland into this world-leading centre for scientific research. I am delighted to say that Ireland’s application is at an advanced stage and we are hoping to join in early 2026.”

Of being part of the delegation, Dr Kilbane said “This is a momentous occasion for the Irish Government’s Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, and an acknowledgement of the unique expertise within the IrelandQCI consortium, to be invited as part of the delegation visiting CERN.  Echoing what Minister Lawless has said, we have a world-class research community in Ireland who can be a real asset to CERN in contributing to the fantastic work they are doing here in Geneva; it is an exciting time.’’

About CERN:
The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is an intergovernmental organisation that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. CERN is the leading global collaboration investigating the fundamental composition of matter.
While CERN is world-renowned for its fundamental research in particle physics, there are cutting-edge activities across many fields including engineering, computing, photonics, advanced materials and medical technology. CERN research has also had a real impact on everyday life, for instance, it led to the creation of the World Wide Web, PET scanning, major cancer treatment advancements and even the smartphone touchscreen tech you hold in your hand.
As a groundbreaking project using cutting-edge technologies to build a national quantum communication infrastructure, it is momentous that key representatives of the IrelandQCI project have been part of this visit between Ireland and CERN, and it is an exciting time for future opportunities this collaboration could bring for Irish students, researchers and entrepreneurs.

We also look forward to continued high level collaboration with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science as IrelandQCI progresses.