UK firms pitch for CERN business

Two roadshows this week will give UK companies the chance to work on the Large Hadron Collider and other CERN projects

A number of UK firms have made parts for the LHC

Seventy six UK firms will meet officials from CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, this week at two roadshows with a view to pitching for business.

CERN is a large spender on science and technology and runs the Large Hadron Collider, due to be switched on again in November. The organisation spent £110m on supply contracts last year alone.

The UK companies will meet the CERN officials at two roadshows in Oxfordshire and Cheshire on Tuesday and Wednesday organised by the UK Trade & Investment quango.

"Working with CERN is not only a feather in the cap for a British company but also an excellent business opportunity," said UK trade and investment chief executive Sir Andrew Cahn. "Firms which meet the highest scientific standards required by this facility win not only business but also a world-class endorsement of their innovation and quality."

A number of UK firms have already won business at CERN.

Cemgraft Electronics from Berkshire provided half of the 700 ROBin cards in ATLAS, a key part of the Large Hadron Collider.

And eXception EMS, from Calne in Wiltshire, manufactured the tracker front-end drivers for the particle detector CMS, an electronic system designed and developed at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the UK.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for UK businesses to be involved in one of the world’s most exciting scientific projects, and for the UK to reap some of the benefits of the major scientific investment made by the Science & Technology Facilities Council in CERN," said John Womersley, director of science programmes at the Science and Technology Facilities Council.