Minister of State Seán Sherlock begins a three-day trade mission to Switzerland this morning with a visit to the atom-smashing Cern research centre. The Enterprise Ireland trip will involve meetings with Swiss companies and Irish business people in Basel and Zurich.

The highlight will be his closed visit to the Cern facility outside Geneva today, where scientists are performing research to examine the origins of matter – and life itself.

Ireland has only limited access to research positions at the facility as a non-member of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, known by its French acronym, Cern. But Irish scientists are hopeful this will change after Mr Sherlock returns to Dublin and concludes an ongoing review of possible Cern membership.

As well as boosting the Government’s priority on science research and employment, membership would allow Irish companies to bid on Cern contracts worth €500 million annually. Tomorrow and Friday, Mr Sherlock will meet executives from Swiss multinationals from the pharmaceutical and food sectors.