BTU Becomes a Member of the World’s Leading Scientific Organization, CERN
Business and Technology University (BTU) has become a member of one of the world’s most influential research centers, CERN. BTU and CERN are launching a new multi-year strategic phase of collaboration. Within this framework, BTU will join CERN’s prestigious international scientific initiative ATLAS with the status of a Technical Associate Institute.
This marks the first precedent in which Georgian scientists will develop products in the fields of artificial intelligence and VR technologies that, through CERN membership, will be exported to leading scientific institutions worldwide.
This collaboration involves BTU’s technical participation in the project and is based on the university’s expertise in virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), 3D modeling, software development, and the creation of educational digital platforms. Georgian scientific technologies will be gradually exported, with leading global research centers and institutions becoming their users.
A key component of the project will be the development of VR+AI episodes dedicated to various subsystems of the ATLAS detector. These digital environments will be created with high scientific accuracy and will aim to support both technical and educational processes, as well as promote science more broadly.
In addition, BTU will contribute to the development of educational applications for international masterclasses within the ATLAS collaboration. Specifically, the cooperation includes developing software solutions for ATLAS W-path and Z-path exercises, helping international students and pupils study physics in a practical way. Within this collaboration, BTU will also continue delivering international masterclasses for the wider public as part of CERN’s IPPOG collaboration.
As part of the partnership, BTU will provide the necessary academic and technical resources for project implementation, including:
- A specialized technical and research team;
- XR/AI laboratory infrastructure;
- Virtual and augmented reality equipment;
- High-performance computing resources.
This collaboration represents a significant international milestone for BTU and further strengthens its positioning as a higher education institution focused on technology, innovation, and international scientific cooperation.
ATLAS is one of the largest scientific experiments in the world, conducted at CERN, bringing together more than 3,000 scientists and engineers from around 180 institutions across approximately 40 countries. The collaboration includes strong participation from European countries (Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Spain), as well as the United States, Canada, Japan, China, and other technologically advanced nations. This scale makes ATLAS one of the most influential platforms in global science, where participation means direct involvement in fundamental discoveries in physics and the development of new technologies.
CERN was founded in 1954 and today stands as the world’s largest, most prestigious, and authoritative research center. The organization includes more than 20 full member states, along with associate members and partner countries from various regions. CERN employs approximately 2,500 permanent staff and hosts over 10,000 scientists and students from more than 100 countries who participate in its experiments. Its main infrastructure is the Large Hadron Collider, a 27-kilometer underground accelerator where fundamental research is conducted on matter, energy, and the origins of the universe. Among CERN’s achievements are the discovery of the Higgs boson and the creation of the World Wide Web in 1989, which extended far beyond science and significantly impacted global technological development.
Georgia has an international cooperation agreement with CERN, enabling Georgian scientists and universities to participate in CERN’s experiments and research initiatives.
