The Knowledge Transfer group (KT) at CERN aims to engage with experts in science, technology and industry in order to create opportunities for the transfer of CERN’s technology and know-how.

The ultimate goal is to accelerate innovation and maximise the global positive impact of CERN on society. This is done by promoting and transferring the technological and human capital developed at CERN. You can read more about it on the technologies that change your lifes or CERN’s impact pages.

The KT group organises ITT forums with representatives from all CERN Member States, including the ITT Forum Belgian delegates.

One Belgian success story in CERN knowledge transfer

A Belgian physicist at CERN, Serge Mathot, is involved in a significant Knowledge Transfer project. He spearheads the development of a transportable Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator that will be introduced into museums or restoration centres to analyse fine art and cultural artefacts. The project MACHINA (Movable Accelerator for Cultural Heritage In-situ Non-destructive Analysis), as it’s named, was launched in 2018 at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (OPD) in Florence, one of the world’s leading institutes in art restoration.

MACHINA led to the development of ELISA (Experimental Linac for Surface Analysis) now being used to analyse the composition of objects, such as art, geological or cultural heritage objects, without causing any damage, at Science Gateway, CERN’s education and outreach centre. This marks the first time a proton accelerator of this kind has been used for research as a part of a museum exhibition.