Minister for Education Clifton Grima has announced that "the official journey for Malta to become an associate member of CERN has now begun."

Concluding his visit to Switzerland on CERN's invitation, Minister Grima stated that he visited the European Organization for Nuclear Research with one goal in mind: "to open doors for more research and innovation in Malta."

"This is the first step in a national vision that connects our brightest minds with world-class scientists, and ensures that Malta has a direct voice in the development of future technologies. For Maltese researchers, educators, and students, this is not just a symbolic move but it is a strategic investment in their future," Minister Grima said.

Malta, together with Xjenza Malta, will be working towards securing closer membership with CERN. It was said that this step will offer more opportunities for international level capacity building, scientific exploration, STEAM-based learning, and global research networks. CERN is one of the largest and most renowned scientific research centres in the world.

The Minister added that by taking this step, Malta will be better positioned to compete on a global level to invest in intellectual capital and establish a direct bridge between local talent and international scientific excellence.

Minister Grima noted that Malta is just one of two European Union countries still not formally associated with CERN as he discussed this step to strengthen research and innovation for the country.

During this visit, the Permanent Representative of Malta to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations in Geneva, Randolph Debattista, stated that there is great enthusiasm within CERN to see Malta work towards becoming affiliated as an associate member.

"This will be a historic step for Maltese researchers to not only participate, but to lead projects within the largest research centre in the world," Debattista said.

Present for the visit were management from Xjenza Malta, including its Chief Executive Officer, Silvio Scerri. CEO Scerri emphasised that "although we are still in the early stages, it is an opportunity to pave the way for scientific and innovative growth for Maltese talent."