The European Academy of Sciences is proud to highlight the recent Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics awarded to the ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb collaborations at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN — a distinction that recognises major contributions to our understanding of the universe at the most fundamental level.
The award celebrates their work using data from the LHC Run-2 (up to July 2024), including:
Precision measurements of Higgs boson properties confirming the mass generation mechanism.
Discoveries of new strongly interacting particles.
Exploration of matter-antimatter asymmetries and fundamental symmetries.
Studies under extreme physical conditions replicating the early Universe.
“It is a beautiful recognition of the collective efforts, dedication, competence and hard work of thousands of people from all over the world who contribute daily to pushing the boundaries of human knowledge.”
– Prof. Fabiola Gianotti, Director-General of CERN, and EurASc Fellow.
This recognition resonates strongly with EurASc’s mission to promote scientific excellence, foster cross-border collaboration, and support fundamental science with societal relevance.
A Prize That Gives Back
In agreement with the experiment leaders, the $3 million award will be donated to the CERN & Society Foundation to fund doctoral research grants for students from the collaborating institutes — further strengthening the next generation of scientific leaders.
A Timely Recognition
This award comes in a special year for the Academy, as CERN will host the EurASc 2025 Annual Symposium and Awards Ceremony, taking place on 17–18 December 2025, in Geneva. The celebration of LHC’s achievements adds meaningful context to the event, which will focus on the theme:
“Societal Impact of Fundamental Sciences”
EurASc warmly congratulates all collaborators, including the many Fellows involved, on this outstanding recognition that reflects the power of collective science in shaping the future.