A high-level delegation from the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) conducted a five-day review of Pakistan’s advancement under its Associate Membership, meeting with senior officials and inspecting major scientific and technical facilities across the country.
The visiting team of five senior experts held talks with the Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and toured a series of research and engineering centres to evaluate progress in particle physics, nuclear science and related technologies.
Inspections included the National Centre for Physics (NCP), Heavy Mechanical Complex-3 (HMC-3), Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH), Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Oncology (INMOL) and the National Institute for Laser and Optronics (NILOP), among other advanced laboratories and production sites.
CERN, headquartered near Geneva, is the world’s preeminent particle physics laboratory. Founded by European member states on the principle of ‘Science for Peace,’ the organization has expanded to 25 Member States and nine Associate Members, with Pakistan listed among the associates.
Pakistan’s Associate Membership began on 31 July 2015. Since then, the country has taken part in CERN projects through coordinated efforts led by PAEC under the PAK-CERN collaboration framework.
Officials and visiting specialists described the assessment as part of routine oversight to gauge scientific output, technological development and capacity building. Through its link with CERN, Pakistan has reported gains in research capability, industrial applications and training opportunities for young scientists and engineers.
The five-day mission, held from 24 to 28 August 2025, aimed to benchmark institutional strengths and identify areas for deeper cooperation and improvement in high-energy physics and allied disciplines.