CERN openlab welcomes students as the 2025 summer student programme begins – don’t miss our lectures!

This summer, 37 outstanding students from universities across the globe have been selected, from more than 3800 applicants, to take part in the 2025 CERN Openlab Summer Student Programme. The programme offers a unique opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to gain hands-on experience in scientific computing, high-performance systems, and software engineering at one of the world’s leading research institutions.

Over the course of 9 weeks, students will collaborate with CERN experts on cutting-edge projects across domains such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, quantum technologies, data acquisition systems, and advanced software development. These projects are central to the technological backbone of CERN’s experimental research and provide students with the chance to contribute meaningfully to ongoing scientific efforts.

As part of their experience, students will also participate in an intensive lecture series delivered by CERN professionals. Covering a broad range of technical and scientific topics – from software and computing infrastructure to accelerator and detector physics – these lectures aim to enrich students’ knowledge and expose them to key challenges in modern-day scientific research. You can follow the lectures here: Indico 2025 CERN openlab summer student programme lectures.

This year’s edition also includes a new collaboration with the Next Generation Triggers (NGT) project at CERN. Several students will focus on projects contributing directly to this initiative, which is exploring innovative technologies to enhance real-time data processing in future high-energy physics experiments.

The programme is a gateway to real-world scientific computing and a springboard for future careers in research, engineering, and technology development. Students not only gain practical experience, but also become part of a diverse and dynamic international community.

This year, the programme is additionally supported by the ideas4HPC initiative, which has funded one of the selected female students, continuing its mission to promote gender diversity and excellence in the field of high-performance computing.