On the 70th Anniversary of the Establishment of the CERN Organization, the School of Physics at the University of Tehran Began its International Cooperation

Through the continuous efforts and pursuits of Prof. Kazem Azizi, Professor of the School of Physics at the University of Tehran and former International Advisor of the College of Science, the University of Tehran became the second Iranian university member of the CERN Organization. Earlier, in 2000, the Iranian Institute for Fundamental Sciences, known as IPM, started its first cooperation with the CERN Institute, and in 2018, Isfahan University of Technology became a member of this international organization. The European Organization for Particle and Nuclear Research (CERN) is the world's largest particle physics laboratory and is one of the world's largest and most respected centers for scientific research which is established in 1954 in the northwestern part of the city of Geneva on the border of Switzerland and France. The initial laboratory was placed on the border of two countries with the aim of consulting and peaceful purposes. The proton particle accelerator section is in the shape of a circle with a diameter of about 27 kilometers. Currently, twenty-seven European countries are the main members of this organization, and about 8,000 scientists and engineers representing about 600 universities and research institutes from 80 countries, including Iran, work at this institute under international cooperation agreements. More than ten thousand researchers from various fields of basic sciences, engineering, agriculture, etc. visit this institute every year through short-term visits. CERN's main activity is to provide particle accelerators and other infrastructures and instruments that are used for various research in various branches of science at high energies. CERN's four large detectors are the result of such international cooperation. The center has powerful processing facilities that are specially built to examine big data from experiments. As a global facility, CERN is governed by a council consisting of the main members of European countries, which determines the basic decisions and policy of this center. The budget for CERN's research and activities is also provided through these main members. The mission of this center is research, technology creation, cooperation, and education. According to the CERN Convention, this organization must create a suitable platform for cooperation in all fields of science and technology between member countries.
According to Prof. Kazem Azizi, a member of the CERN working group of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, in parallel with research in the field of fundamental particles, research is also underway in other branches of science, including high-level physics, engineering sciences, agriculture, modern medical technologies, and artificial intelligence, which can lead to huge industrial developments in the future of the world. The School of Physics of the University of Tehran is a member of the Future Circular Collider (FCC) project of the CERN Institute. This project will be an expanded version of the current accelerator and a particle accelerator tunnel, 91 km around Geneva. The goal is to reach energies about ten times higher than the current one, in order to find answers to questions that CERN has not yet had a precise answer to. The implementation of such a large-scale high-tech project will lead to the advancement of the industry of the countries participating in the project at a scale smaller than nano. This membership will provide a good opportunity for the university and the country and will be a good platform for the activities of researchers; students and professors. It will also provide a grant for research activities in this field. Scientific documents published in this institution will improve the scientific position of the university in international rankings.
To integrate the activities of scientific and academic institutions and develop a roadmap for cooperation, the CERN Working Group has been formed in the Center for International Studies and Cooperation of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology since previous years. Also, to further familiarize interested researchers and create a culture of international cooperation within the country, on March 1st of this year, an international conference will be held in a hybrid format (virtual and in person) entitled "Iran's International Cooperation with CERN" with the financial support of the Ministry of Science at the School of Physics of the University of Tehran. Additional news will be announced on the College of Science website soon.

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link: science.ut.ac.ir/article/43698477