On 6 October 2021, CERN was pleased to host a visit of Mariya Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. The Commissioner was welcomed by the Director-General, who introduced the activities of the Organisation and the plans for future projects in particle physics.

After a visit to the ATLAS Experiment and an exchange with the Directorate during lunch, Mariya Gabriel met a group of young scientists and engineers from all 27 EU member states, working at CERN. The lively discussion covered diverse topics such as gender equality in research and innovation, attracting more girls in STEM, EU support for careers of young scientists and young innovators, and the importance and role of science communication.

In a wrap-up meeting at the end of her visit, the Commissioner discussed with the Directorate the participation of CERN to the Horizon 2020 programme and in particular the EU projects that support the use of CERN technologies outside of particle physics in areas such as health, energy and environment. Were also mentioned CERN’s approach to knowledge transfer and intellectual property, co-innovation between research infrastructures and European industry, and the role of procurement for innovative businesses as CERN suppliers.

The visit of the Commissioner contributes to strengthening the excellent relations of CERN with the European Commission, which are based on a memorandum of understanding signed between the two sides in 2009, and on a very successful participation of CERN in the EU Framework Programmes for Research and Innovation (100 projects in FP7 and 110 projects in H2020).