Global Collaboration
Working Group
Our Mandate
Engage with countries with mature particle physics communities, a long-standing participation in CERN’s programmes and the potential to contribute substantially to the Organization’s long-term scientific objectives, to facilitate opportunities for national participation in the FCC through long-term bilateral agreements (MoUs and Addenda).
Membership or Associate Membership, as provided by CERN’s geographical enlargement policy
Long term bilateral agreements
Engage with the participants – national laboratories, institutes and universities as well as industry in the Member States (MS), Associate Member States (AMS) and Non-Member States (NMS) – to carry out the following mandate:
Encourage an expanded membership
The necessary software tools and computing architecture
Explore opportunities for future prospective participants
Support new participants in application processes
Assist the new participants in defining areas of collaboration
Conclude relevant agreements
Facilitate the integration process
Facilitate interest in CERN non-core areas – geology, geodesy, logistics, material science
Prepare the foundations for research and contributions by industry
Liaise with national contact persons and forums
Our strategic framework
The ESPP update of June 2020 called for broader scientific and technological support for CERN’s endeavours, ranging from the full exploitation of the LHC to the preparation of CERN’s longer-term future. Future projects—including the FCC—require a multi-tiered engagement with government entities, as well as with individual national laboratories, institutes, and universities across the Member States (MS), Associate Member States (AMS), and Non-Member States (NMS), including Observer States.
This led to the creation and strengthening of a global collaboration throughout the FCC Feasibility Study phase (2020–2025). Today, this collaboration comprises 187 institutes across 40 countries worldwide.
In 2026, the FCC entered a new Reference Design Phase, characterized by a new governance structure, a Project Office, and an International Collaboration Board. The number of participating countries and institutes is expected to grow accordingly.
Our approach to Global Collaboration
FCC Collaboration
FCC Collaboration is formed through a global, two-way and integrative process, while being geographically balanced.
We are open to areas beyond conventional high energy physics, accelerator and detector R&D such as:
Environment & sustainability; education & training; knowledge transfer to society; public engagement and areas that are non-core activities for CERN (geology, geodesy, logistics & material science).
Foundations for industrial research
We want to prepare foundations for industrial research and contributions via national laboratories, institutes and universities.
Potential major partners
CERN engaged in discussions with potential major partners as part of the FCC Feasibility Study, and will continue during the Reference Design Phase.