Future Circular Collider

CERN just got a first: private donors backing a flagship project for fundamental research in particle physics. Groups incl. the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, the Schmidt Fund, and entrepreneurs John Elkann & Xavier Niel pledged ~€860M (~$1B) toward the proposed Future Circular Collider (FCC) — a proposed 91 km next-gen successor to the LHC.

If approved by CERN Member States, this particle collider would become one of the most ambitious scientific instruments ever built. Designed to deepen our understanding of the Higgs boson, the Standard Model, and physics beyond it, the FCC would continue humanity’s quest to understand the Universe at its most fundamental level. Beyond discovery science, it would also drive innovation across technologies with broad societal impact while training future generations of scientists and engineers.

Private donors pledge 860 million euros for CERN’s Future Circular Collider

A consortium of private donors (individuals and philanthropic foundations) have agreed to support the proposed Future Circular Collider at CERN

Find out more: https://home.cern/news/press-release/cern/private-donors-pledge-860-million-euros-cerns-future-circular-collider

Planning for the Next Generation of Exploration

Particle physics is an inherently global field, built on long-term international collaboration. CERN plays a central role by providing world-leading particle accelerators that allow experiments to probe the fundamental structure of matter under extreme conditions. Today’s Standard Model is a powerful framework — but not the final word.

Despite remarkable progress, several fundamental questions remain open, often without clear guidance on where new physics may lie. Ben Kilminster compares this situation to the end of the 19th century, when physics appeared nearly complete — until unresolved inconsistencies led to quantum mechanics and the technologies that followed, from computers to GPS. Then, as now, progress depended on recognizing that important puzzles remained and continuing to explore them.

This scientific context shapes current discussions about the field’s future. While the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and its High-Luminosity upgrade will continue to deliver data well into the 2030s, the community is also considering what should come next. One key element of these discussions is the Future Circular Collider (FCC), currently in the feasibility study phase, which is being explored as a possible long-term research infrastructure to extend both the energy and precision frontiers of particle physics.

Whether and how such a project moves forward will depend on scientific priorities, technical feasibility, and international consensus. Kilminster and the University of Zurich are contributing to these discussions, including through the Swiss CHEF program, which brings together Swiss institutions to contribute expertise to future high-energy frontier studies. This engagement is part of a broader Swiss research effort involving the Universities of Basel, Bern, and Geneva, ETH Zurich, EPFL, and the Paul Scherrer Institute, all of which contribute to CERN-related research and long-term planning.

Based on insights from an interview with Ben Kilminster published by UZH News (“Back to the Big Bang”): https://www.news.uzh.ch/en/articles/news/2025/Particle-Physics.html

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🔬 The Power of Precision

(Insights from a Max Planck Society interview with physicist Marumi Kado, Dec 2025)

In particle physics, some of the biggest breakthroughs don’t come from smashing harder — they come from measuring more precisely.

That’s why the first stage of the Future Circular Collider (FCC) is an electron–positron collider, a machine designed not just for high energy but for unmatched precision. Electrons and positrons are elementary particles, so their collisions are clean and controllable — the perfect environment to scrutinize the Higgs boson and other fundamental processes with extraordinary accuracy.

Why does this matter?
Because precision is a discovery engine.
Small deviations from expected behavior could reveal entirely new physics — clues about dark matter, the Higgs mechanism, or extensions of the Standard Model such as supersymmetry. As Marumi Kado explains:
“The more precise measurements of the FCC could find deviations from the Standard Model of particle physics. Maybe we even find something that was already predicted such as supersymmetry, an extension to the Standard Model of particle physics that could also explain dark matter.”

And what if we find nothing new?
Kado offers a powerful analogy: What if Magellan had not found the passage?
We would still have learned that no passage exists at those latitudes — knowledge that reshapes our maps and our understanding.

Similarly, a “desert” of discoveries would be scientifically transformative, showing us where our theories must change and guiding the next generation toward a new paradigm.

As Kado puts it, “Seeing nothing else” — despite systematic, exhaustive searches — has triggered a paradigm shift. It suggests that if new physics exists, it may hide in subtle deviations rather than dramatic, unexpected particles. This is exactly where precision becomes a discovery engine.

The FCC is worthwhile because exploration is essential.
Great discoveries are not just accidents. They require vision, perseverance, and bold tools.
As Kado notes: “Certainly Magellan and history teaches us that great discoveries do not just happen by serendipity, they also need perseverance.”

Beyond science, the LHC has demonstrated how such projects drive innovation, technological advancement, and societal benefit. The FCC will continue this legacy — starting with a machine built for the most precise measurements ever achieved.

The journey begins with precision.
And from precision, revolutions can grow. 🌌

📘 From a recent interview published by the Max Planck Society (“The Future Circular Collider is currently the best approach”), Marumi Kado — Director at the Max Planck Institute for Physics and member of the ATLAS Experiment at CERN — explains where particle physics stands today and where it needs to go next. Read the full interview: https://www.mpg.de/25838901/interview-marumi-kado-future-particle-physics