CERN, the CMS collaboration and SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East) were the special guests of the Info Days held at the University of Bahrain on 14 and 15 February 2023. The event, which brought together representatives from these communities, was jointly sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the University of Bahrain and the Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohamed Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research. It was an opportunity to showcase the contribution of the Bahraini community to CERN and the CMS experiment, while assessing future opportunities to collaborate with SESAME. The University of Bahrain joined CMS as an associated institute in 2019.
In addition to celebrating past achievements, a range of speakers looked to the future of particle physics and technologic innovation in the Middle East. Along with CERN physicists, SESAME representatives were given a platform to advocate for enhanced collaboration between Bahraini scientists and their laboratory, an international organisation operating the only light source in the Middle East. Talks aimed to increase awareness of the two institutions in Bahrain, encouraging students, researchers and industrial partners to join collaborations, which could bolster particle physics projects and scientific collaboration in the region.