The visit by the expert members of the European Commission for Nuclear Research (CERN) is the last step to Croatia’s joining this, the world’s largest, research laboratory, said the Minister for Science and Education, Blazenka Divjak, on Wednesday.

The CERN five-member expert delegation arrived on Wednesday on an official three-day visit to Croatia. Their first stop was the Rimac Automobili, an electric supercar manufacturer based in Sveta Nedelja, near Zagreb.

The visit was organised so that CERN could become acquainted with the research sector in Croatia, as well as the country’s innovative and industrial potential, said the minister, adding that Croatia could use the visit to present its political will for joining the project.

She said that CERN was one of the biggest hotbeds for high-tech industry, and as such presented a chance for Croatia to open up new opportunities for brilliant individuals in the research and industry sectors. At the same time, it is an opportunity for the laboratory’s cooperation with Croatian innovative companies.

The annual membership of 1 million Swiss francs is not too expensive, considering the opportunities the CERN membership could open for Croatia, said the minister.

The visit was organised on three levels. The research facilities the delegation will visit are the Rudjer Boskovic Institute, the Institute of Physics, and the Faculties of Science in Zagreb, Rijeka, and Split.

They will also visit the innovative companies Rimac Automobili (electric supercar manufacturer), DOK-ING (electric vehicles and robotic systems manufacturer), Include (high-tech startup), and Amphinicy (software provider for companies in the satellite industry).

The last leg of the visit will focus on the Croatian Academy for Arts and Sciences (HAZU), and the Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ).

The European Commission for Nuclear Research is the largest research laboratory in the world, founded by the European Council for Nuclear Research in 1954. The laboratory is located on the Swiss-French border, west of Geneva. Around 2,500 people work at CERN, and some 8,000 scientists from 580 institutions use its capacities for their research. CERN is managed by 20 EU members, and officially cooperates with 38 countries across the world. Croatia has been cooperating with CERN since 1991.