Slovenia's CERN membership pushed back, task force to visit in February

In 2016 Slovenia signed an agreement to become an associate member with a view to become a fully fledged member with voting rights by July 2024. The ministry says that a confirmation of the membership is expected in 2025.

CERN is being realistic in saying that the original date is unattainable because of their internal processes, which take more time, the ministry wrote.

By becoming a full-fledged member, Slovenia would gain voting rights in the CERN council but would have to pay a higher membership fee.

In 2023 Slovenia contributed CHF 2.2 million to CERN or 70% of the full membership fee. In 2024 Slovenia's fee will increase to CHF 2.4 million or 80% of the full fee. As a fully fledged member it would pay CHF 3.1 million, though the exact figure is determined by the council every year, the ministry said.

A task force from CERN will visit Slovenia on 19 and 20 February to assess the situation in the country and meet with stakeholders. "We expect they will confidently confirm Slovenia's readiness for full membership," the ministry wrote.

The task force will prepare a report and present it at the June session of the CERN council, which is when Slovenia can expect the formal green light to begin the preparations for full membership at the national level, said the ministry, adding that the preparations span several months.

The ministry already formed its own task force to coordinate the process and an inter-ministerial group to ensure Slovenia's interests are pursued at all levels.

CERN has several criteria for full-fledged members. The country needs to have a strong community in theoretical and experimental particle physics, strong industry and an understanding of what CERN membership signifies, CERN's director for international relations Charlotte Lindberg Warakaulle told Slovenian journalists. Mutual interest between CERN and the state is also important, she added.

"This is a long-term commitment. This is not an organisation that you can just join or leave," said Lindberg Warakaulle, adding that the voting on a new member has to be unanimous.

Slovenia has a long history with CERN. Its first initiatives for membership date back to 1992 but it applied in 2009. Slovenian scientists have been cooperating with CERN even longer, since the 1970s, and signed a cooperation agreement in the late 1980s.

Slovenian scientists are mostly working on the Atlas project, the larger of the two particle detectors at the Large Hadron Collider. Over 40 researchers and more than 10 students are working on the project, said Andrej Gorišek from the Jožef Stefan Institute, who will take over the coordination of the project in March.

Slovenia's full membership will open new avenues for cooperation, Gorišek said. There will be more job opportunities for scientists but also engineers, technicians and administrative staff. Currently Slovenians can only be employed for a fixed term.

Slovenia's membership in CERN has its advantages for the economy. Slovenian companies are increasingly working with CERN, some 20 are active, while CERN has recorded more than 60 interested companies and other entities from Slovenia in its database.

Despite the higher membership fee, 2023 was Slovenia's best year yet when it comes to cooperation with CERN. Slovenia is expected to draw around 78% of invested funds, which is approximately CHF 1.7 million, said Samo Tuma, representative of Slovenian business at CERN.

Slovenian businesses are recording more and larger orders from CERN, he added. Cooperation with CERN can also serve as a great reference.

Working with CERN "put us on the map of European printed circuits manufacturers," said Nejc Gornik from electronics company Elgoline that has been working with CERN since 2004 and recently secured a large development project.