CSIL, in collaboration with Technopolis Group, conducted an assessment of the socio-economic benefits generated by CERN. Covering approximately the past 25 years, the study examined CERN as a global hub for scientific discovery, technological development and international collaboration.
The assessment considers five interconnected pathways through which CERN contributes to science, innovation and society:
The study combined bibliometric and citation analysis, procurement and company-data analysis, counterfactual and input-output methods, patent and policy-citation analysis, surveys, interviews and case studies. This integrated approach aims to capture benefits that extend beyond particle physics, including industrial innovation, new technological applications, highly specialised skills and cooperation across countries and disciplines.
Among the findings, the study showed that CERN’s research generated more than 160,000 scientific and technical publications between 1989 and 2024. Its scientific outputs have influenced technological development, including through citations in more than 1,300 patent applications.
The study demonstrates that the socio-economic contributions of research infrastructures are broad, cumulative and interconnected. Many benefits emerged over long periods and through networks involving researchers, engineers, companies, public institutions and former members of the scientific community.
Beyond documenting CERN’s achievements, the work provides a conceptual framework, indicators and methodological recommendations for future impact tracking. These tools can help research infrastructures develop more systematic evidence on how investments in frontier science contribute to knowledge, innovation, industrial capacity, skills and international cooperation.