Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair and am delighted to be in the House to discuss this issue. CERN is the leading global collaboration investigating the fundamental composition of matter. For nearly 70 years, this Intergovernmental organisation composed of 23 member states, including most of the EU member states, and ten associate member states has been at the cutting edge of research. The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, announced in November 2022 that Ireland would pursue membership of CERN. Since then, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has been in active engagement with CERN officials and the Irish research community regarding the expected benefits, the membership application process and the associated costs. A clear path towards membership has been set out following on from the clarification of the process from CERN. The aim is that Ireland will be in a position to join CERN in 2024.

International research organisations provide opportunity beyond our own borders. They foster collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas and research. Impact 2030, the national strategy for research and innovation, commits us to optimising our membership of these organisations to ensure our engagement reflects our existing and emerging strategic priorities. CERN is a key international research organisation and provides significant benefits to Ireland. The review of Irish membership of international research organisations came to this conclusion in a study commissioned in 2015. Associate membership of CERN has been recommended in this study, as well as by the CERN Ireland users group and by an Oireachtas joint committee in 2019. That is the membership path the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is currently pursuing. Associate membership of CERN will bring benefits to Ireland across research, industry, skills, science outreach and international relations. It would open doors for Ireland's researchers to participate in CERN's scientific programmes, and would make Ireland's citizens eligible for staff positions and fellowships at CERN. Central to the application process, the Department, in collaboration with national stakeholders, has begun preparation of the specific country file required to make a formal application to CERN. This file establishes Ireland's compliance with the criteria for membership.These criteria include the status of particle physics in Ireland; the current level of expenditure on research; the anticipated impact of CERN-associated membership on domestic particle physics research; and official data on the State's economic situation and forecasts. Initial consideration by the Department, in consultation with CERN, demonstrates a strong performance by Ireland in regard to all required criteria and has clarified the valuable international contribution of the existing Irish physics community. No shortcomings have been identified that would prevent Ireland's bid for membership. Extensive consultations will continue in the coming months with the Ireland CERN Users Group; the Institute of Physics; the relevant State agencies; and the wider academic community so that the best case can be put forward to represent Irish physics and our wider interests. The required file will be ready for submission well in advance of the CERN Council meetings at the end of this year. While the country file is being completed, progressing Ireland's membership will involve engagement with the Cabinet, the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, the Department of Foreign Affairs, CERN, and ultimately with Dáil Éireann. The application process for associate membership requires planning, collaboration and deep consideration. In order to join as an associate member the following steps must be completed.

Step number one, associate membership of CERN will bring significant benefits to Ireland's research community. Of course there is also a cost for associate membership. The current estimates agreed with CERN show that associate membership fees will cost €1.52 million per annum, subject to indexation, for a period of five years. Funding for CERN membership must include additional provision beyond the annual membership fee to allow for meaningful exploitation of Ireland's membership. An indicative cost of €300,000 per annum has been estimated. This amount would fund the participation of Ireland's school teachers in training programmes at CERN; membership of the five primary experiments at CERN; outreach to second level students; and infrastructural supports. These costs must be agreed through the Estimates process.

Step number two, following agreement on funding the Minister will bring a memo to Cabinet requesting Government authority to bring an application for associate membership to CERN. This memo will present the outcome of the detailed engagement currently in train. If the Government agrees, the formal process can then commence.

Step number three involves Ireland submitting an application for associate membership to the president of the CERN Council. At this time, Ireland must submit a country file giving details of compliance with the criteria for associate membership.

Step number four allows for the Estimates process. The next possible CERN Council meetings when the application will be given preliminary consideration will take place on 5 October to 6 October 2023, and again on 14 December 2023.

Step number five is that CERN will establish a fact-finding taskforce to examine the application and to visit and engage with the relevant stakeholders in Ireland. The taskforce will submit a report on Ireland's suitability for associate membership to the director general and the president of the CERN Council. Step number six, allowing some months for the taskforce process it is envisaged that the council could vote in June 2024 on whether to admit Ireland as an associate member. Admission to CERN must be by consensus.

At step number seven, an agreement will be brought to Dáil Éireann for ratification, along with the required protocol.

I hope that was useful and informative and I want to thank the Members, in particular my colleagues, Senators Byrne and Doherty for providing the opportunity to give this update. We look forward to continuing this engagement throughout the application process.