IdeaSquare - the innovation space at CERN

20/03/2026

Advancing innovation in education, strengthening researcher engagement, or building an interconnected ecosystem: these were some of the topics tackled in the latest TECH2X consortium meeting.

Learn more about it here: https://ideasquare.cern/node/485
And about the TECH2X EU project here: https://www.tech2x.eu/

Esade, inno.space - Design Factory Mannheim, Almacube Incubatore dell'Università di Bologna, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, ODTÜ Tasarım Fabrikası / Design Factory at Orta Dogu Teknik Universitesi

13/03/2026

New prototyping workshop opens at IdeaSquare!

The CERN community is welcome to put their innovative ideas to the test in ‘The Forge’. Constructed with assistance from the Site and Civil Engineering (SCE) Department, the new workshop brings the former 3D Printer Studio and three containers together to create one collaborative space. Featuring a large central worktable for ambitious builds and a modular peg wall for flexible set-ups, it offers the space and tools needed for experimental and inventive work. With easily accessible 3D printers and interactive smartboards, users can quickly build and experiment with prototypes.

Learn how you can use it here: https://ideasquare.cern/node/484

12/03/2026

The actions and activities in TECH2X are designed to strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship capacity at institutional level, fostering pathways between challenge-based innovation courses that are technology driven, and entrepreneurship capacity building to move forward promising projects.

TECH2X also offers several initiatives to strengthen partnerships, aligning strategic interests to move deep-tech potential out of the laboratory and into an environment where it can be taken-up and applied by those most willing and capable of capturing its value.

Learn more about what TECH2X is and the role of IdeaSquare in it, with this video and on https://www.tech2x.eu/

Esade, inno.space - Design Factory Mannheim, Almacube Incubatore dell'Università di Bologna, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, ODTÜ Tasarım Fabrikası / Design Factory at Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi

10/03/2026

Join the 2026 CIJ Summer School on experimentation-driven research methodologies at CERN IdeaSquare in Geneva (8–12 June 2026).
Applications are still open!

This tuition-free program offers hands-on, interdisciplinary training combining lectures, workshops, roundtable discussions, and an on-site experiment. Don't miss this unique chance to learn from leading experts on experimental research methods:

Living labs: Ellen van Bueren & Marcel Musch
Laboratory experiments: Eric Guerci
Design science: Raymond Opdenakker PhD & Leona Chandra Kruse.. along with various experts from CERN and CIJ

Open to PhD students and senior academics from any discipline. The program also includes visits to CERN experimental sites and a social networking dinner.

Final deadline: 15 March

Full details and application instructions are available on the event page: https://indico.cern.ch/event/1622011/

10/03/2026

10/03/2026

A hackathon at IdeaSquare - the innovation space at CERN, lots of coffee, and writing code that will help run the CMS Experiment in 2030: this is how Emanuele spent his first days at CERN! ☕💻

✍️ Read his blog to get a taste of what a (NGT) hackathon is like: https://cylindricalonion.web.cern.ch/blogs/tomorrow-we-will-win-lessons-my-first-cern-hackathon

26/02/2026

Representatives from 20 Permanent Missions in Geneva came together at IdeaSquare for the third edition of Quantum Unplugged!
The event was organized in collaboration with the Delegation of the European Union to the UN and other international organisations in Geneva

🔗 Read more on our webpage: https://ideasquare.cern/node/482

10/02/2026

Only a few days left before the registration deadline!

09/02/2026

Science is better when it's open 🌐 This winter, we held the first public ATLAS tutorial at IdeaSquare - the innovation space at CERN. The initiative brought together experts and learners to explore real ATLAS datasets, master new tools, and discover how to use open data for research and education.

Interested in exploring the data yourself? The ATLAS Open Data portal offers everything from web-based analysis tools to full datasets for research and education. Start your journey here: 🔗 opendata.atlas.cern

30/01/2026

From an imagined exoplanet to one of Earth’s most pressing space challenges!

Students from Riga Technical University joined our IdeaSquare Planet program, where they focused on designing future satellite strategies for the exoplanet Luminis, weighing priorities, trade-offs, and societal consequences. They then applied the same mindset to Earth, comparing possible futures and proposing recommendations supported by qualitative reasoning and rough quantitative estimates.

IdeaSquare Planet is a novel methodology developed at CERN IdeaSquare in collaboration with partners and staff to help participants tap into their creativity and tackle complex problems.

Thank you to the Riga Technical University students for their creativity and engagement. rtu.lv

29/01/2026

IdeaSquare welcomed the children of Jardin des Particules for an educational exercise exploring environmental effects and the fundamentals of data transmission. Through playful activities using basic materials and simulating the transmission of a small picture, the kids learned how different types of pollution affect our world as well as how an image can be transformed into code.

It is never too early to learn!

27/01/2026

Are you an early bird?
Already planning your summer time?

Join the 2026 CIJ Summer School on experimentation-driven research methodologies at CERN IdeaSquare in Geneva (8–12 June 2026).
Applications are now open! https://indico.cern.ch/event/1622011/

This tuition-free program offers hands-on, interdisciplinary training combining lectures, workshops, roundtable discussions, and an on-site experiment. Don't miss this unique chance to learn from leading experts of experimental research methods:

Living labs: Ellen van Bueren & Marcel Musch
Laboratory experiments: Eric Guerci
Design science: Raymond Opdenakker PhD & Leona Chandra Kruse.. along with various experts from CERN and CIJ

Open to PhD students and senior academics from any discipline. The program also includes visits to CERN experimental sites and a social networking dinner.

Early bird application deadline: 15 February
Final deadline: 15 March

Full details and application instructions are available on the event page: https://indico.cern.ch/event/1622011/

See you in June!