CERN

The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN , is an <a href="/facts/Intergovernmental_organization/5ELbyRm6">intergovernmental organization</a> that operates the largest <a href="/facts/Particle_physics/YgIuyj2t">particle physics</a> laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, it is based in <a href="/facts/Meyrin/CNquGroz">Meyrin</a>, western suburb of <a href="/facts/Geneva/14gXxjcq">Geneva</a>, on the <a href="/facts/France%25E2%2580%2593Switzerland_border/MSYyJqDG">France–Switzerland border</a>. It comprises 24 member states. Israel, admitted in 2013, is the only full member geographically out of Europe. CERN is an official <a href="/facts/United_Nations_General_Assembly_observers/30aBbpj7">United Nations General Assembly observer</a>.
The acronym CERN is also used to refer to the laboratory; in 2023, it had 2,666 scientific, technical, and administrative staff members, and hosted about 12,370 users from institutions in more than 80 countries. In 2016, CERN generated 49 <a href="/facts/Byte/BNHUp9Qq">petabytes</a> of data.
CERN's main function is to provide the <a href="/facts/Particle_accelerator/Pkuc08xC">particle accelerators</a> and other infrastructure needed for high-energy physics research – consequently, numerous experiments have been constructed at CERN through international collaborations. CERN is the site of the <a href="/facts/Large_Hadron_Collider/XWJCFSqT">Large Hadron Collider</a> (LHC), the world's largest and highest-energy particle collider. The main site at <a href="/facts/Meyrin/CNquGroz">Meyrin</a> hosts a large computing facility, which is primarily used to store and analyze data from experiments, as well as simulate <a href="/facts/Event_(particle_physics)/8ma0SlWf">events</a>. As researchers require remote access to these facilities, the lab has historically been a major <a href="/facts/Wide_area_network/mAkW4gr3">wide area network</a> hub. CERN is also the birthplace of the <a href="/facts/World_Wide_Web/wvnTrWFq">World Wide Web</a>.

CERN open-in-new

CERN