Rolex and CERN & Society Foundation: A Celebration of Impact
As the CERN & Society Foundation builds on its long-standing relationship with Rolex, we look back to celebrate the impact and milestones made possible in the past three years.
Photo: Marina Cavazza / CERN
Building on years of collaboration
From a partnership on the Globe exhibition in 2008 through the Science Gateway in 2020, Rolex has been a valued supporter of CERN for nearly two decades. Indeed, the long-standing relationship between the two organisations goes back to the late 1950s and builds on a rich history of Rolex’ engagement with CERN outreach and education activities.
Partner on the Globe exhibition
Rolex Science Day in the Globe
Rolex becomes partner for TEDxCERN
Start of CERN & Society Foundation
Rolex supports the Science Gateway
Rolex becomes Title Partner
A quest for excellence
From its outset, Rolex and CERN have shared a common passion for science and innovation for the benefit of next generations. This shared passion is rooted in a common goal: the quest for excellence.
This quest forged close ties of collaboration over the years and eventually led to Rolex becoming Title Partner of the CERN & Society Foundation in 2023.
A partnership with generational impact
Rolex is a key supporter of the CERN & Society Foundation, enabling its far-reaching impact through programmes connecting CERN’s work with society. The continuing partnership supports a long-term vision for wider access to knowledge and discovery.
The partnership has been crucial to the work of the Foundation over the past years. As CERN’s philanthropic arm, the mission of the CERN & Society Foundation is to promote educational, artistic and technological projects that translate into real societal impact spanning across continents and reaching students, scientists and citizens from all walks of life. The Foundation supports multiple projects spanning three pillars: Education & Outreach, Innovation & Knowledge Exchange, and Culture & Creativity. Together, these three pillars help turn scientific curiosity into opportunities for learners, communities and innovators.
Partnership impact: Education & Outreach
Beamline for Schools Competition
The Beamline for Schools (BL4S) competition invites high‑school students from around the world to design their own physics experiments to be performed on a beamline at a major accelerator facility. This programme offers young people the unique opportunity to conceive experiments, engage with scientific mentors and carry out their proposals on state‑of‑the‑art experimental infrastructure.
Impressive key highlights from 2025 alone:
- 508 teams submitted proposals, representing more than 3,500 students.
- Students from 72 countries and territories participated.
Photo: Marina Cavazza / CERN
“I learned that we can try things that look impossible. This competition is so huge… you don’t imagine winning. You just participate because it’s interesting, and then you’re here and you’re doing what you love and you can imagine yourself doing bigger things than when you first started.”
Winner, Belgian team
Photo: CERN PhotoLab
The Non-Member State PhD Student Programme
The programme provides young, high-calibre PhD students from around the globe with the opportunity to come to CERN and participate in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments. The scheme offers students in particle physics, applied physics, information technology, computing and engineering a unique chance to deepen their knowledge in an organisation like no other. They get involved in world-famous experiments and accelerator projects of unprecedented scale and scope and bring new skills and a range of expertise back to their home countries and regions.
Photo: Andreas Höcker / CERN
“Today, I work at the intersection of advanced detector technologies and fundamental physics, exploring phenomena beyond the standard model, such as dark matter candidates through long-lived particles that might be produced at the FCC-EE. Coming from Egypt, the land of one of the world’s most ancient civilisations, this journey feels like a continuation of humanity’s long quest to understand the universe.”
Mahmoud, from Egypt, Non-Member State PhD Studentship winner
Photo: Theraa Tork / CERN
The Science Gateway
Since its monumental opening in 2023, the Science Gateway has stood as the proud home of where science and art meet and blend into immersive experiences that empower people of all ages to engage directly with the work of a leading physics laboratory. Admission for all visitors is completely free of charge thanks to generous supporters, like Rolex, who believe in science for all.
Key highlights:
- Over 1 million visitors since opening
- Visitors from 179 countries
Visitors can choose from
multiple interactive exhibitions such as Discover CERN, Quantum World, and Our Universe. They participate in hands-on lab workshops designed for families and school groups, attend science shows and guided tours and take part in public events that blended scientific ideas with culture and creativity.
Photo: Maximilien Brice / CERN
Partnership impact: Innovation & Knowledge Exchange
TIMEPIX @ School
TIMEPIX@school is a pioneering initiative which brings detector technology developed at CERN into schools, giving students the opportunity to explore the invisible world of radiation that is all around them.
By placing real research tools in the hands of the next generation, the project hopes to inspire future scientists and ensure that access to meaningful science education is available to all.
“Having access to such exciting technology, which allowed us to participate in experiments that made a real impact, was very rewarding. Not only was I inspired by all the fascinating scientific discoveries I made during the experiments we conducted with TimePix, but I also felt that my peers and I could truly make a meaningful contribution. It was a truly unique experience, and I am extremely grateful for it.”
Anna, a high school student participating in the TIMEPIX@school pilot project
Penelope, former project lead. Photo: Noemí Carabán González / CERN.
Partnership impact: Culture & Creativity
Arts at CERN
The arts at CERN program welcomes artists to CERN to experience how fundamental research pursues the big questions about our universe. From residencies to commissions and events with impact, this program continues to produce true meaning that resonates with all its audiences.
Resident artist Amanda E. Metzger on Reconstructing the Past in the Present
Her research at CERN, together with her sustained investigation into the notion of existing as a decentralised, multi-bodymind that relies on information sharing and the reconstruction of memories, led to the development of 𝚫 (delta). The work takes the form of a website, accessible on mobile phones at https://delta.metzger.love/, and exists as a soundscape that can be collectively experienced anywhere, unfolding when more than four people gather together in a large space. The work is accompanied by a musical composition created in collaboration with Lucien Guy Montandon.
Amanda E. Metzger at the CERN Data Centre. Photo: Marina Cavazza / CERN.
HUM
Blending visual and auditory layers, this video essay traces connections from sinkholes and black holes to ancient instruments and conceptual thought, from alpine alphorns to experiments at CERN. Through intricate soundscapes and imagery, it examines how this geometry amplifies the connections between the human, the natural, and the infinite, inviting viewers to uncover the unseen threads interweaving our world.
Photo: Tania Candiani, Echoes of the Spiral, 2025 (video still).
Expanding our horizons
As the reach of the CERN & Society Foundation grows, Rolex and CERN & Society Foundation continue their joint work across the Foundation’s three pillars, further cementing and ensuring the long-term impact. This partnership represents a continued commitment to give ambitious ideas, minds, and communities the room to grow and reach even further.