“This collaboration is no longer just a matter for physicists, it has long surpassed university boundaries. CERN is part of European society, each of us contributes and can benefit from its advantages. We often do not even realize that technologies and knowledge used in hospitals, companies, or even schools were created at CERN,” says Ramūnas Aleksiejūnas, professor at Vilnius University (VU) and executive director of the Lithuanian Particle Physics Consortium.
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Innovations changing everyday life
The largest accelerator complex and the largest scientific research laboratory in the world, located on the border of Switzerland and France. According to VU scientists, CERN is important not only for fundamental research that helps find answers to the mysteries of the Universe.
“Technologies born at CERN are today applied in modern cancer diagnostics and treatment, advanced processing of huge amounts of data, radiation measurement in various environments from hospitals to space stations, production of the most advanced semiconductor detectors, and other important fields. It is one of the strongest accelerators of high technology, innovation, and talent creation in the world. CERN’s contribution to Lithuania, as well as Lithuania’s contribution to CERN, creates added value in many areas,” says Prof. R. Aleksiejūnas.
Knowledge and technologies created at CERN are freely given to the world – through open access articles and experimental data, technological knowledge transferred to companies, openly accessible resources for teachers and students.
“For example, CERN developed a new technology for ultra-pure radionuclides for cancer treatment and has already conducted preclinical studies. CERN conducts cloud formation research – this knowledge is essential for understanding climate change and controlling Earth’s warming. CERN is the only place in the world that can create the same radiation environment as in Jupiter’s clouds, which is necessary for developing satellites. The MEDPIX semiconductor sensor created by CERN has already generated 72 patents and more than 100 million euros in value for the companies developing it. This list can go on,” notes the VU professor.
If you are reading this text on a phone, you are also using CERN technologies – touch-sensitive screens and the World Wide Web were invented at CERN several decades ago and have become part of everyday life for people worldwide.
“This can already be called history. Today, when talking about high technologies, we associate CERN with European innovations. Electronics and photonics, semiconductors, lasers, optics, machine learning, and digitalization development – these are areas where the strong contribution of Lithuanian scientists is felt. We create value, not just draw from it at CERN,” says VU professor Tomas Čeponis.
If you are reading this text on a phone, you are also using CERN technologies.
Lithuania has been an associate member of CERN since 2018 – the first among the Baltic countries to achieve this status. Associate membership has opened opportunities for Lithuania to participate in the organization’s activities and use its benefits – albeit with restrictions. “All the benefits provided by CERN can be used by countries that are full members. Lithuania is currently only seeking such membership. Lithuanian businesses are interested in this, as they currently feel the limitations the most. Full membership would remove the so-called ‘caps’ on the number of contracts from abroad that apply to associate members,” explains Prof. R. Aleksiejūnas.
One hundred scientists from Lithuania
Over the years, VU’s collaboration with CERN has significantly expanded. “Today, about one hundred Lithuanian scientists and doctoral students participate in CERN activities. If we also count students working with CERN data, this number would increase significantly,” says the executive director of the Lithuanian Particle Physics Consortium in Lithuania.
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One of the most prominent examples of Lithuania’s involvement growth is VU becoming an official participant in the LHCb experiment in September 2024. Today, the majority of the “LHCb Vilnius” group members are students – from bachelor’s to doctoral levels. However, the activities carried out in the LHCb experiment are just one important part among many.
“We can count dozens of VU colleagues contributing to CERN activities. Colleagues from the Faculties of Physics, Mathematics and Informatics, Chemistry, and Geosciences are the most actively involved. VU participates in the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) and LHCb experiments, several Detector Research and Development (DRD) programs. Also in the development of semiconductor and laser application technologies, production and characterization methods of scintillating materials, software improvement, and open data development processes. Competences are combined at various levels,” emphasizes Prof. R. Aleksiejūnas.
According to him, scientists, engineers, and doctors from Kaunas University of Technology, the Lithuanian Energy Institute, and the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences are also actively involved in CERN activities. Such collaboration has long become part of Lithuanian scientists’ work.
“It may sound incredible, but groups of scientists spread all over the world work with huge data, top-level technologies, and can do this even from their home kitchens. Probably the most significant thing is that we work in Lithuania, for example, at VU, and represent CERN to our scientific institutions. Whether it is physics, engineering, materials science, informatics, or data science, we all unite for common goals,” says Physics Faculty doctoral student Rūta Racz.
The future is created today
This summer, the largest number of students in Lithuanian history are interning at CERN – 13 VU bachelor’s and master’s students participate in various activities. “Talent development is an important part of CERN’s activities. It is not limited to students or the youngest scientists. Activities for schoolchildren are held several times a year, international masterclasses attract hundreds of them. Also, teacher qualification improvement trips to CERN are organized annually,” says Dr. Mindaugas Šarpis, head of the VU “LHCb Vilnius” group.
Lithuanian scientists conducting research and academic activities are also actively involved in the mentioned educational areas. This has not gone unnoticed by CERN and allowed Lithuania to win the opportunity to organize the annual main LHCb conference (“LHCb week”) in an internal LHCb competition, which will be held at VU from September 14–18.
According to “LHCb Vilnius” scientists, several hundred physicists from around the world will come to Lithuania for the first time. They will not only present the latest LHCb research results but also discuss the upcoming experiment detector upgrade, costing 150 million euros, in which Lithuania will also participate. “It is pleasing that Lithuanian institutions understand the importance of this event very well – many companies, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, and the Research Council of Lithuania agreed to support the event. The conference is under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Lithuania,” rejoices Dr. M. Šarpis.
The CERN laboratory symbolizes collaboration based on the fastest and most advanced technologies, which makes it possible to capture such rare and rapidly occurring processes that are hard to comprehend mentally. Collaborating with hundreds of scientists and engineers, new equipment and computing methods are created with each upgrade, allowing what was impossible yesterday. “Together with CERN, we are creating the future today. We would like Lithuania to become even more involved in joint activities, creating and improving new technologies, services, and products together with CERN,” concludes Prof. T. Čeponis.
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