A word from the DG: A unified Laboratory
I complete my five years at the helm of CERN at the end of December and would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the route we have travelled during that time and to express my best wishes to you for the future. In addition to the vital priority of completing the LHC, I set myself two essential goals at the beginning of my term of office: to define a clear long-term strategy for CERN and to unify the Laboratory. These aims were essential in order to regain the confidence of the Member States, partly lost as a result of the crisis that occurred before I took up office, and to transform CERN into the key player in the European strategy for particle physics.
We have succeeded in completing the LHC. Despite the incident in the machine, we were able to show very rapidly that the accelerator and its injection chain were well poised to deliver efficient operation and use.
Our efforts to unify the Laboratory, to define the strategy and clarify the role of the Council have also met with evident success. Previously, the image offered to delegates was of a Laboratory divided, its future in jeopardy. The organizational structure was broken down into "sectors" and "divisions", a revealing use of terms suggesting independently operating units.
In order to promote the trend towards a unified Laboratory, we have transformed management methods in many fields, including recruitment, promotions, cooperation agreements, budget allocations, etc. We have placed the emphasis on activities rather than on departments. We have implemented, albeit partially, tools for measuring the efficiency and effectiveness of the measures we take.
The impact of this policy has been recognised. It has enabled us to substantially regain the Member States’ confidence. The clearest proof of this was the Council’s decision in 2007 to grant CERN 240 MCHF in additional contributions over four years. There is still a great deal to be done to achieve further progress towards organisational cohesion. I hope that these efforts to promote unified management of the Laboratory, essential to ensure a long-term future for the Organization, will continue.
In parallel to our efforts on the managerial front, the Council has taken on a high-profile and fundamental mission associated with long-term particle physics strategy. This commitment has resulted in the definition of the European strategy for particle physics for which the CERN Council will play a central role. As a consequence of worldwide involvement in the LHC, CERN has gradually become a world Laboratory. I hope that this opening-up to the world will be consolidated by collaborations with institutions that will be a prelude to the mapping of a very ambitious future for the Organization.
I also hope that a unified laboratory will provide the framework for retaining essential know-how and expertise. One of CERN’s greatest assets is its highly qualified and motivated personnel, comprising the leading experts in their respective fields. Retention of this know-how and expertise will entail rigorous implementation of an ambitious human resources policy.
I am convinced that CERN and fundamental physics have an essential role to play in modern society, for instance as a source of innovation, even if the current economic crisis is obliging the decision-makers to focus their attention on other priorities. But this role will only be recognized if CERN preserves its high-profile position and broad spectrum. The Laboratory’s primary mission is to make discoveries, but this is not enough. To be assured of a recognised place in Europe, the Organization must also enhance its technology transfer and education and training policies, and continue to play its role of bringing countries closer together through the medium of science.
To conclude, I would like to express my appreciation to you for the five exciting and stimulating years that I have spent at CERN. I have much appreciated working with you and facing challenges together, the chief of which has been completion of the LHC. I would like to extend my best wishes to you and my successor and to hail the successes that the LHC will no doubt achieve in the near future.
I would like to convey my seasonal greetings and my best wishes for the New Year to you and your families.
