Fianna Fáil Senator Malcolm Byrne has welcomed news that the Government has approved to submit Ireland’s formal application to join the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) as an Associate Member.
CERN is one of the world's largest and most respected centres for scientific research.
The Governments application will be considered by CERN next month.
Senator Byrne, who has been pushing for Ireland’s membership since he entered the Oireachtas, said, "Ireland joining CERN will be a major boost for Irish science.
"It sends a really positive message about Ireland’s role in international collaborative research. Apart from membership though, we also need a CERN strategy to support those who will engage and to ensure the benefits flow to Ireland.
"Cern is arguably the world's greatest scientific laboratory and certainly engages some of its greatest scientists, engineers and technicians.
"Almost every other European country is a member or associate member of CERN. Joining CERN will be a major boost for Irish scientists and researchers and open a whole host of opportunities.
" I look forward to working with my colleagues in Government to implement a national strategy for CERN which ensures that we can avail of the benefits of membership and that our researchers can be actively involved."
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