The structure of CERN
How CERN is governed and organized; its council, member states, and departments
The CERN council is the highest authority of the organization and has responsibility for all-important decisions. It controls CERN’s activities in scientific, technical and administrative matters. It approves programmes of activity, adopts the budgets and reviews expenditure. The council is assisted by the Scientific Policy Committee and the Finance Committee. The Director-General, appointed by the council, manages the CERN laboratory. He is assisted by a directorate and runs the laboratory through a structure of departments.
Council
CERN is run by 20 European member states, each of which has two official delegates to the CERN council. One represents his or her government’s administration; the other represents national scientific interests. Each member state has a single vote and most decisions require a simple majority, although in practice the council aims for a consensus as close as possible to unanimity.
Scientific Policy Committee
The Scientific Policy Committee evaluates the scientific merit of activities proposed by physicists and makes recommendations on CERN’s scientific programme. Its members are scientists elected by their colleagues on the committee and appointed by council on the basis of scientific eminence without reference to nationality. Some members are also elected from non-member states.
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee is composed of representatives from national administrations and deals with all issues relating to financial contributions by the member states and to the organization’s budget and expenditure.
Director-General
Appointed by council, usually for five years, the Director-General manages CERN. A directorate assists the Director-General; he proposes its members to council. The Director-General reports directly to the council. He can also propose to council any adjustment he deems necessary to meet the evolving needs of the research programme.
Directorate
| Director-General | Rolf Heuer |
| Director for Research and Computing | Sergio Bertolucci |
| Director for Accelerators and Technology | Stephen Myers |
| Director for Administration and General Infrastructure | Sigurd Lettow |
International relations
Coordinator for International Relations: Felicitas Pauss
Heads of departments
| Physics – PH | Philippe Bloch |
| Information Technology – IT | Frederic Hemmer |
| Beams – BE | Paul Collier |
| Technology – TE | Frédérick Bordry |
| Engineering – EN | Roberto Saban |
| Human Resources – HR | Anne-Sylvie Catherin |
| Finance, Procurement and Knowledge Transfer – FP | Thierry Lagrange |
| General Infrastructure Services –GS | Lluis Miralles |
Directorate office
Isabel Bejar-Alonso
Ewa Rondio
Emmanuel Tsesmelis
