Fianna Fáil Press Office
Senator Malcolm Byrne
Tue 15 Nov 2022
Ireland joining CERN will be a major boost to Irish Science - Senator Malcolm Byrne
Senator Malcolm Byrne has said Ireland joining CERN will be a major boost for Irish science and research after Minister Simon Harris told the Dáil this evening that he will bring a membership proposal to Government.
Senator Byrne, who has been pushing for Ireland’s membership since he entered the Oireachtas, said,
“This 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.
"Last week I said Ireland joining CERN would be the best way to mark Science Week and it's great to see this proposal.
"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 scientist and researchers and open a whole host of opportunities.
"I hope to see proposal for membership moved quickly through Government and I look forward to working with Minister Harris 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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