By Emmanuel Tsesmelis and Francisco Sanchez Galan (CERN)

On 30 September 2025 the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and CERN concluded a Framework Collaboration Agreement, aimed at strengthening the scientific and technical cooperation with the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) project.

Under this agreement – concluded within the scope of HL-LHC Work Package 8, which focuses on the interface between the LHC experiments and accelerator – PAEC will contribute to the manufacturing of radiation shielding components for the ATLAS and CMS experiments.

Over the years, PAEC has established specialised engineering departments dedicated to serving its technical missions. The shielding components will be manufactured at the HMC-3 complex, equipped with modern facilities and highly-qualified personnel, that provide expertise in nuclear power engineering, civil works and infrastructure development.

This partnership further strengthens the collaboration between CERN and Pakistan, highlighting the country’s growing role in major international scientific and technological projects.