Signing of agreement between CERN and the ESA: Research pioneers with shared roots decide to work together
Bern, 28.03.2014 - A cooperation agreement between the European Space Agency (ESA) and CERN was signed in Geneva today in the presence of State Secretary Mauro Dell’Ambrogio. The agreement strengthens the cooperation between the two organisations, which perform pioneering work in their respective areas of research and which are symbolic of the longstanding success of European collaboration. Edoardo Amaldi, nuclear physicist and co-founder of CERN, whose vision for collaboration in the field of space research provided the impetus for establishing the ESA, was honoured at the signing.
The Directors General of the ESA and CERN signed a cooperation agreement today in Geneva. It provides a basis for the exchange of information, competencies and experience between the two organisations, and increases the possibilities for joint developments. The strengthened cooperation should lead to further efficiency improvements and greater competitiveness at the international level for both organisations.
Representatives from various member states attended the signing. Switzerland was represented by Mauro Dell’Ambrogio, State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation. As a founding member of both organisations, and as CERN’s host member state, Switzerland hopes for tangible synergies, for example in the development of innovative materials for use in extreme environmental conditions. New supply channels which can be used by Swiss industry should also be created through this institutionalised cooperation.
The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) was founded in 1954 and has since become the world’s largest centre for particle physics. CERN has made many crucial discoveries about the composition of matter and the fundamental forces in physics, which are becoming ever more present in daily life through technological developments. The internet as we know it is also a product of its developments in the field of computing.
Thanks to Switzerland’s participation in the ESA, Swiss federal institutes of technology, cantonal universities and universities of applied sciences and Swiss industry are able to work together in various phases of space missions, from cutting-edge scientific research or the development of prototypes to industrial implementation. The technological achievements reached within national borders and the excellence of the instruments developed in the field of space strengthen Switzerland’s position in research and innovation. The resulting technological knowledge contributes to the development of products with high added value derived from space applications, which can be used in other fields such as transport, agriculture and environmental management.
Address for enquiries
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI)
Andreas Werthmueller, Space Office
Tel. +41 58 463 35 95
Publisher
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation
http://www.sbfi.admin.ch
