Highlights from CERN’s 2025 knowledge transfer initiatives
Management remarks
“As we prepare to implement the High-Luminosity LHC and work toward securing approval of CERN’s next flagship collider, it is good to be reminded of the many ways in which we generate socio-economic benefits.
Cutting-edge technologies, advanced know-how, unique accelerator facilities: we develop these tools to satisfy our scientific ambitions, and they turn into real-world applications thanks to fruitful collaborations with academic, institutional, and private sector partners.
This report presents a selection of CERN’s knowledge transfer activities. I hope you will find it interesting, and I am looking forward to 2026 and beyond, to keep demonstrating our commitment to increasing the dissemination and impact of our technologies.”
Mark Thomson, CERN Director-General
Figures
2025 innovation partnerships in numbers
89
Knowledge Transfer
Contracts Signed
Contracts by Type
32
Collaborative R&D
28
Licence
15
Service/Consultancy
8
CVC Startup
3
Contract Research
2
Co-ownership
1
Others
Agreements by Partner Type
63
Industry
18
Institute/Laboratory
13
University
10
Others
3
Hospital or biomedical research institution
Who’s talking about CERN innovation?
Highlights
MEDICIS: Pioneering radionuclides for precision medicine
CERN and Airbus UpNext expand collaboration
The CERN chips transforming science and society
Startups
As CERN’s flagship entrepreneurship programme, CERN Venture Connect completed its second year by strengthening what matters most: a growing community of founders turning deep-tech ideas into real-world impact across CERN’s Member and Associate Member States.
Throughout 2025, the programme focused on cultivating meaningful connections among founders, creating an environment where knowledge, experience, and ambition are shared. In total, eight startups, which have already attracted over 5 million euros of funding from public innovation agencies, venture capitalists, and private investors across Europe, joined the programme.
This founder-centric ecosystem was further enriched by a solidified partner network, now comprising 60 organisations, all committed to supporting founders with expert guidance, mentorship, and essential resources.
The CERN Venture Connect technology portfolio also continued to expand, opening new pathways for collaboration and innovation.
The year culminated in CVC Venture Day 2025, a moment that brought together the wider CERN ecosystem and celebrated not just individual ventures, but a connected and growing CVC community.
CERN Venture Connect startup founder corner
CERN Venture Connect brings together CERN’s cutting-edge technologies with the global startup ecosystem. In 2025, eight startups joined the CERN Venture Connect programme.
Are you a deep-tech startup founder?
- Network of deep tech venture capitalists, incubators, mentors, and service providers
- Curated state-of-art technologies
- 0% equity, founder-friendly, and express agreements
CERN Venture Connect technologies
Learn more about the curated CERN technologies available under CERN Venture Connect and how they could benefit your company.
CERN Venture Connect partners
A key CERN Venture Connect ingredient is a thriving network of partners, who support CVC startups by providing funding, coaching, and more.
In 2025, the total number of deep-tech partners across 18 countries has risen to 60.
Interested in CERN technologies?
Credits
This report showcases only some of CERN’s knowledge transfer activities where there was significant progress in 2025.
Many thanks to:
The CERN scientists, engineers, technicians who support the Organization’s knowledge transfer mission. All partners who collaborate with CERN on innovation projects. Everyone who has contributed to the content and production of this report.
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