SA celebrates 15 years of collaboration with European lab for particle physics

The Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Nomalungelo Gina, will reflect on South Africa’s 15-year partnership with CERN, the European organisation for nuclear research, in Cape Town, this week.

The two-day event, on 20 and 21 January 2025, will be held at the National Research Foundation’s iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator-Based Science (iThemba-LABS).

It will recognise South Africa’s contributions to pioneering scientific research and innovation on the global stage. 

CERN is the world’s largest particle physics laboratory and the SA-CERN collaboration has fostered advancements in physics, technology, and human capital development. 

The SA-CERN programme was officially launched in 2008 and chaired by the late Professor Jean Cleymans.

“The programme has built on the rich history of experimental science in South Africa, increasing the local and international footprint of the country in high-energy physics, and facilitating South African researchers, engineers, and students’ access to CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in Geneva,” the statement read. – SAnews.gov.za