High-tech frontiers: India must become a member of CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has emerged as the world’s leading laboratory for frontier research in physics. Recently, CERN discovered the Higgs Boson, the long sought goal of physics research at its Large Hadron Collider (LHC) facility which produces the world’s most powerful particle collisions. Starting off as a European organisation, CERN has broadened its outreach to non-European country membership, including India, which was granted the Observer status in 2002. While India has been participating in CERN’s activities, it is high time that India took the step of joining CERN as an associate member state, and eventually as a full member state.
As associate member, India will have the right to attend and participate in both the open and restricted sessions of the CERN Council as also send representatives to the meetings of the organization’s Finance Committee. Indians will also be eligible for appointments as staff members at CERN on contracts of limited duration and as Fellows. India should finalise its associate membership of CERN without further delay and seek full membership in CERN. The proposal for associate membership has been pending with the previous government and should now be approved by the new government. This will be a great service to Indian science and open up many opportunities in the future