For the first time in its history, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has received significant financial commitments from private sector donors. A total of €860 million (approximately $1 billion) has been pledged towards the construction of the Future Circular Collider (FCC), an ambitious project aimed at advancing fundamental physics research. The Geneva-based institution announced this development, highlighting the potential implications for the future of scientific financing.
If approved by CERN’s member states, these contributions would mark a significant shift in the funding landscape of fundamental research. According to CERN, the private donations would represent a major investment in a project that is expected to cost over €15 billion. This initiative reflects an evolving relationship between science and private capital, as the organization seeks to build the world’s largest particle accelerator.
Major Contributors and Project Goals
Among the notable private supporters are the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, established by Silicon Valley billionaire Iouri Milner; the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Strategic Innovation Fund, coordinated by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt; John Elkann, chairman of the Stellantis group and heir to the Agnelli family; and Xavier Niel, founder of the telecommunications company Iliad. These financial commitments are contingent upon the approval of the FCC project by CERN’s member states, who will remain the primary financiers of the organization.
The FCC aims to be constructed by 2040, featuring a tunnel that spans 91 kilometers at an average depth of about 200 meters. This would significantly surpass the current Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which has a tunnel length of 27 kilometers. One of the primary scientific objectives of the FCC is to explore the nature of approximately 95% of the energy and matter in the observable universe. This includes addressing the mystery surrounding the asymmetry between matter and antimatter, a crucial question in modern physics.
Implications for the Future of Research
CERN’s Director-General Fabiola Gianotti expressed enthusiasm about the unprecedented involvement of the private sector in such a significant research initiative. “This is the first time in history that private sector donors have come together with CERN to build an extraordinary research instrument that will allow humanity to make major advances in understanding fundamental physics and the Universe,” she stated.
In support of this collaborative effort, Pete Worden, president of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, emphasized the shared mission of understanding the fundamental nature of the universe. “We are proud to support the creation of an instrument that can shed new light on some of humanity’s most fundamental questions,” he remarked.
The current LHC made headlines in 2012 when it enabled the discovery of the Higgs boson, a particle essential for understanding the mass of matter. This discovery is regarded as one of the most significant scientific achievements of the 21st century.
However, the future of the FCC remains uncertain. The CERN Council, which includes representatives from the 25 member states, is expected to make a final decision regarding the construction of the new accelerator in 2028. This decision will follow comprehensive scientific, financial, and political evaluations. Until then, the private sector’s historic commitment to the FCC project marks a pivotal change in how fundamental research is financed and may redefine the dynamics between science, government funding, and private investment.
