The 2026 CERN openlab Summer Student Programme begins, welcoming 47 students from 27 nationalities
Forty-seven students from twenty-seven different nationalities have arrived at CERN for the 2026 CERN openlab Summer Student Programme. Over the next nine weeks, they will work alongside CERN experts on real-world computing, AI and storage projects while taking part in a dedicated programme of lectures, visits to CERN experiments, and networking activities.
The CERN openlab Summer Student Programme offers undergraduate and master’s students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the computing technologies that support scientific research at CERN. Working under the supervision of researchers and engineers, participants contribute directly to ongoing projects while developing both technical and professional skills in an international research environment.
The programme is organised by CERN openlab, CERN’s collaboration with leading companies and research organisations to accelerate the development of cutting-edge computing technologies for scientific research. Through this unique ecosystem, students have the opportunity to work not only with CERN experts but also on projects involving technologies and expertise from CERN openlab collaborators and partners in industry. This close interaction between academia, industry, and CERN helps expose participants to real-world challenges while contributing to advances in scientific computing.
Throughout the programme, students will contribute to projects covering a broad range of topics in scientific computing, artificial intelligence and storage. Some of these projects are carried out within the framework of the Next Generation Triggers (NGT) collaboration, helping develop future real-time data processing technologies for particle physics experiments.
Alongside their project work, students will attend a series of lectures delivered by CERN professionals and invited experts. These lectures aim to enrich students’ knowledge and expose them to some of the key challenges in modern-day scientific research. You can follow the lectures here: Indico 2026 CERN openlab Summer Student Programme Lectures page.
Finally, their work will culminate in a series of presentations (Summer Student Lightning Talks ) showcasing the results of their projects, offering an opportunity to share what they have learned and the contributions they have made throughout the summer.
