Ljubljana - The Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) signed an agreement with the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport to cooperate in promoting Slovenian companies' cooperation with CERN in Geneva, which operates the world's largest particle physics laboratory and is the site of the world's largest particle accelerator.

The goal of the agreement is to allow as many companies as possible to take advantage of the opportunity to cooperate with the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), the GZS said.

GZS director-general Aleš Cantarutti and Education Minister Igor Papič were said to have agreed that the extension of Slovenia's associate membership of CERN until July 2024, approved late last year, entailed the challenging task of strengthening the participation of Slovenian businesses in the research institution after little progress had been made in the respect so far.

Papič noted the complexity of the task of transferring knowledge and strengthening participation in large international systems such as CERN, which he said called for patient work with business representatives, informing them on opportunities and providing individual advice.

Through the renewed partnership with the GZS, the ministry hopes to achieve those objectives for the mutual benefit of science, education and the economy.

Cantarutti welcomed the shared interest and commitment to involve as many Slovenian companies as possible in CERN. He is confident about the potential of their technological development and innovation. The GZS would step up its efforts to raise awareness about the opportunities and encourage more business deals with CERN. This would also help open doors to other centres of science and research.

Slovenia has been an associate member of CERN since 2017, which allows research institutions, individuals and companies to participate in the work of the Geneva-based institution.

The GZS sees cooperation with CERN as an excellent reference for companies, encouraging them to develop and innovate, and to enter a market where science is creating a need for cutting-edge products and services.