Slovakia seeks to expand industrial and scientific benefits from CERN membership

Slovak officials, including Prime Minister Robert Fico and Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár, met with CERN Director-General Mark Thomson to discuss strengthening the partnership between Slovakia and the European Organization for Nuclear Research.

Leadership emphasized that CERN serves as a tool for scientific diplomacy and a bridge for international cooperation. A primary goal is to ensure that Slovakia’s membership translates into tangible opportunities for domestic industry and research. Currently, 58 Slovak companies are registered in CERN’s supplier database, with some securing contracts worth millions of Swiss francs.

The discussions also highlighted Slovakia’s support for the Future Circular Collider (FCC), a major project intended to be three times larger than the current Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Slovakia signed a memorandum of understanding in June 2025 to support the feasibility study for this project. Additionally, the meeting touched upon Slovakia’s nuclear energy developments and the role of Slovak scientists, who have contributed to major breakthroughs such as the discovery of the Higgs boson.