I welcome to the House the Minister of State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science with responsibility for Skills and Further Education, Deputy Niall Collins.
Ireland's Application for Membership of CERN: Statements
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.
I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, and now call on Senator Malcolm Byrne who has six minutes.
Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I would also like to welcome members of the research community who are present. There is an enormous interest in this issue amoung the research community in Ireland, particularly those who are engaged with physics but also I think more widely because of the importance of investment in science and Ireland's participation in multilateral organisations across this area.
It is also important, for those from CERN who are watching us today from Geneva, that the message goes out from this Chamber and indeed from Ireland that this Government and the country are very committed to Ireland finally joining CERN. We have been an outlier for so long, even though we are a country that is very committed to multilateralism. The fact that we have not joined CERN in spite of numerous recommendations, including by Oireachtas committees, has been a disappointment. That said, it is very welcome that the Government and both the Minister of State and the Minister, Deputy Harris, have taken the approach to very clearly move towards Ireland's membership of CERN, with first associate membership and then full membership.
I also thank the Minister's officials for the work they have been carrying out in the background. I am very conscious that this is not simply a process of filling in a one-page form and sending it to Geneva. It requires quite a lot of work. I had hoped, as the Minister of State will be aware, that we would be aiming for the June CERN Council meeting and making initial moves at that stage. I am glad that there are very clear timeframes now set on the record of the House and I sincerely hope that there will be no slippage on the dates that have been given.
We have talked about this crucial aspect before. It is not just about Ireland joining the organisation; we must develop a CERN strategy so that apart from our membership we look at how we as a country can contribute, how our scientists, engineers and others can get involved in the process and, equally, how Ireland can benefit. It is not just about CERN. It is about all the other organisations that Ireland is a member of at European and global levels. We need to effectively communicate the benefit of membership of these organisations. We need to put on record our thanks to those staff and officials in CERN who have been engaged quite actively in this process and to all the stakeholders who are here. The message that needs to come out of this set of statements today is that we are resolute, that Ireland will finally get our application over the line. I hope the Minister of State or the Minister will come back in when the submission has been made at the time of the CERN Council meeting in October to give us an update on what is happening then.
On behalf of everybody in these Houses, the Minister of State can rest assured that he, his Department and his officials have our full support and co-operation. We owe this to our scientific community here in Ireland, not just so they have the opportunity to benefit from membership of CERN but so our many wonderful scientists and researchers have the chance to contribute.
I thank the Minister of State for coming in and giving us this good news today. I am delighted to be able to talk about Ireland's application to CERN and why we should apply. First, membership of CERN will provide an opportunity for Irish scientists and engineers, the people who are listening to us today, to join a world-class research community and collaborate with international resources and researchers. The collaboration will allow Irish scientists to participate in ground-breaking research projects and develop new skills, new technologies and most important, knowledge. This in turn will have a far-reaching effect and benefit for Ireland's scientific community, providing them with access to cutting-edge facilities and global networks of researchers to learn from and to share with.
Second, the high-tech industry is one of the key drivers of the Irish economy. We laud it and are world-renowned for it. Joining CERN would benefit the Irish industry significantly. Ireland could invest in CERN's cutting-edge technologies. We could acquire valuable knowledge and expertise and use this knowledge to create more high-tech jobs in Ireland. This move would also attract international companies. It would give them another reason to come here as they would seek to benefit from expertise in particle physics and technological innovation.
Third, CERN has a very strong record of transferring knowledge and technology that can be applied to industry, medicine and other fields. Accidental discoveries in physics have also led to the development of technologies such as the World Wide Web, MRI scanners and PET scanners.
Being part of CERN would give Ireland that opportunity to benefit from this transfer of knowledge and technology.
Fourth, CERN membership would allow Ireland to be part of a broader scientific and educational community that is actively engaged in promoting and supporting science education. Dedicated CERN programmes designed to support science education and outreach activities, such as the CERN summer student programme and the teacher programmes that Senator Malcolm Byrne spoke about, help to promote science education for young learners right across Europe.
Finally, CERN membership would significantly raise Ireland's scientific profile, promoting the country as a leader in scientific research and technological innovation, and highlighting its commitment to science education and advancements. This would help to attract global attention to Ireland's scientific and high-tech industries, leading to new investments, new partnerships and collaborations with international organisations. I believe that joining CERN would be a significant benefit to Ireland. It would promote scientific excellence, technological innovation and strong international partnerships. It would allow Irish scientists and engineers to collaborate on cutting-edge research projects and acquire new skills and knowledge.
As for the €300,000 mentioned by the Minister of State as the annual outlay, we would get that back in spades - not just in multiples, but multiples of multiples. I look forward to the deadlines and the dates that the Minister of State has set down. Hopefully, we will be back here when we get our associate membership and then our full membership, and enjoy the benefits in Irish society and among the Irish educational, research and scientific communities.
Thank you. It was remiss of me not to acknowledge the presence of the researchers and students in the Visitors Gallery and also those looking in online. I know from a communication that I have received that there is huge interest in this. It is a good news story.
As no other Senators are indicating, I call the Minister of State to respond.
I too acknowledge our guests in the Visitors Gallery and welcome them to the Leinster House complex and the Seanad Chamber. I also acknowledge, as the Chair said, those who are viewing online, particularly people from the international research community who are looking in at the discussion we are having.
I thank Senator Doherty for her remarks, as well as Senator Malcolm Byrne, who has been very consistent in seeking to advance Ireland's participation in and membership of CERN. Not alone has he raised it here on a number of occasions, but he has raised it at another very important forum, the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party, on many occasions.
To conclude, membership of CERN can be expected to bring benefits to Ireland across research, industry, skills, science outreach and international relations. With CERN membership, Irish citizens would gain access to CERN's formal training schemes. These include masters and PhD programmes, apprenticeships, a graduate engineering training scheme, internships for computer scientists and engineers and technical training expertise. These skills would be developed far beyond what is possible in Ireland and are in industry-relevant areas, such as electronics, photonics, materials, energy systems and software.
Membership would also allow Ireland's enterprises to compete in CERN procurement programmes. Much of CERN's instrumentation and equipment requires the development or exploitation of novel technologies, which spurs enterprise innovation. Many of these technologies have applications in other spheres, such as medicine, space, energy and ICT.
Progressing Ireland's application 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, as I said, Dáil Éireann, where it has to be ratified. The expected total financial commitment will be approximately €1.9 million per annum for the initial five-year period. At that time, both Ireland and CERN will work together to consider the best membership options for Ireland. In the event of Ireland's membership, a national CERN co-ordination group will be established to oversee the implementation of a strategy to ensure the best outcome for Ireland on its investment in CERN. The group will agree a set of criteria to monitor and assess the success of Ireland's participation. This group will work with existing structures in CERN towards this end.
Since the Minister, Deputy Harris, announced in November that Ireland would pursue membership of CERN, much progress has been made towards this goal and a clear pathway now exists. The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science will continue to meet with CERN on a regular basis to ensure a seamless transition through each phase of the membership process, ensuring that Irish researchers will be able to participate in CERN activities as early as possible in 2024. The Minister, Deputy Harris, has been invited to visit CERN this year and the appropriate timing of that visit is now under active consideration. Given the strength of the Irish physics community and the wider research community, Ireland has every reason to be confident that it can make a significant contribution to the world-class research being undertaken by CERN.
I thank the Minister of State.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 5.06 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 5.45 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 5.06 p.m. and resumed at 5.45 p.m.