For the first time in CERN’s history, private donors (individuals and philanthropic foundations) have agreed to support a CERN flagship research project. Recently, a group of friends of CERN, including the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation, and the entrepreneurs John Elkann and Xavier Niel, have pledged significant funds towards the construction of the Future Circular Collider (FCC), the potential successor of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). These potential contributions, totalling some 860 million euros and corresponding to 1 billion US dollars, would represent a major private sector investment in the advancement of research in fundamental physics.
A more powerful collider is needed to continue the historic human quest to explore and understand the Universe. If approved by the CERN Member States, the FCC would be one of the most extraordinary instruments ever built to study the laws of the Universe and its structure and evolution at the most fundamental level. It would provide a visionary physics programme aimed at addressing many of the outstanding questions in particle physics – particularly those relating to the Higgs boson – and would thereby deepen our understanding of the Standard Model and open pathways to discovering new physics beyond it.
At the same time, the FCC would drive the development of innovative technologies in many fields and generate substantial positive benefits for society. With its circumference of 91 kilometres, the FCC would succeed the Large Hadron Collider in the mid-2040s.
Based on strong input from the international particle physics community, the FCC has been recommended as the preferred option for the next flagship collider at CERN in the ongoing process to update the European Strategy for Particle Physics, which will be concluded by the CERN Council in May 2026.
“It’s the first time in history that private donors wish to partner with CERN to build an extraordinary research instrument that will allow humanity to take major steps forward in our understanding of fundamental physics and the Universe. I am profoundly grateful to them for their generosity, vision, and unwavering commitment to knowledge and exploration. Their support is essential to the prospective realisation of the FCC and to enabling future generations of scientists to push the frontiers of scientific discovery and technology,” said CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti.
“Understanding the fundamental nature of our Universe is the mission that unites humanity,” said Dr S. Pete Worden, Chairman of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation. “We’re proud to support the creation of the most powerful scientific instrument in history, that can shed new light on the deepest questions humanity can ask.”
"The Future Circular Collider is an instrument that could push the boundaries of human knowledge and deepen our understanding of the fundamental laws of the Universe,” said Eric Schmidt. “Beyond the science, the technologies emerging from this project could benefit society in profound ways, from medicine to computing to sustainable energy, while training a new generation of innovators and problem-solvers. Wendy and I are inspired by the ambition of this project and by what it could mean for the future of humanity."
“CERN’s Member States are extremely grateful for the interest expressed by our donors in contributing to the funding of the Laboratory’s next flagship project. This once again demonstrates CERN's relevance and positive impact on society, and the strong interest in CERN’s future that exists well beyond our own particle physics community,” said the President of the CERN Council, Professor Costas Fountas.
The FCC has also been included among 11 proposed “Moonshot” projects in the draft Multiannual Financial Framework for the years 2028-2034, released by the European Commission in July.
A decision by the CERN Council on the construction of the FCC is expected around 2028.