Opportunities for UK companies at CERN

Did you know that you can do business with CERN? That is the main message to UK manufacturers and service providers at a seminar in Birmingham on 25th March. CERN, the European Particle Physics Laboratory, based in Geneva, has contracts worth over #200 million on offer.

The idea that CERN is involved with particle physics research suggests that it is only suitable for high tech scientific companies - but this is simply not the case. In 2001 CERN spent £155 million on supplies and £74 million on industrial services. The main purchasing areas are in advanced technology, electrical engineering, electronics computer systems, vacuum and low temperature technology and particle detectors. CERN is such a large facility that significant contracts are let in other fields too, e.g. mechanical structures, civil engineering design consultancy, as well as cleaning and office services, heating and ventilation, maintenance, vehicles, photographic and printing services - and all the general support services that are involved in running a 600 hectare site., ,Three UK companies that have recently been successful in winning contracts at CERN are Concurrent Technologies, Colchester, Scotland Electronics of Moray, and Elonex of Wembley/Geneva. All three are suppliers of advanced computing systems, and between them account for £5 million of CERN's current purchasing commitment., ,Ian Stagg, PPARC's UK/CERN Industrial Liaison Officer at CERN adds:, ,"Many UK companies have not even heard of CERN and are unaware of the opportunities that it presents. Through this seminar, in which CERN's Head of the Supplies, Procurement and Logistics Division, Mr Thierry Lagrange, and Dr Lyndon Evans, O.B.E. LHC Project Director will be speaking, many more UK companies will be encouraged to bid for contracts". , ,Did you know that you could do business with CERN? is organised by Trade Partners UK, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Midlands World Trade Forum.
The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) funds the UK subscription to CERN - this amounts to #70 million. CERN's total budget is in excess of #350 million., ,The construction of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is due to be completed in 2007., ,For further information about "Did you know you could do business with CERN?" on 25th March please contact Claire Gamage, Birmingham and Solihull International Trade Team, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce.,Tel: [phone]. Email: [e-mail], ,Gill Ormrod - PPARC Press Office,Tel: [phone]. Email: [e-mail], ,Lindsay Marcer - UK/CERN Liaison Officer, PPARC,Tel: [phone]. Email: [e-mail], ,Ian Stagg - PPARC's UK/CERN Industrial Liaison Officer,Tel: [phone]. Email: [e-mail], ,The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) is the UK's strategic science investment agency. It funds research, education and public understanding in four broad areas of science - particle physics, astronomy, cosmology and space science. , ,PPARC is government funded and provides research grants and studentships to scientists in British universities, gives researchers access to world-class facilities and funds the UK membership of international bodies such as the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, CERN, the European Space Agency and the European Southern Observatory. It also contributes money for the UK telescopes overseas on La Palma, Hawaii, Australia and in Chile, the UK Astronomy Technology Centre at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh and the MERLIN/VLBI National Facility.

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