The European Organization for Nuclear Research (French: Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire), known as CERN. It is a European research organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory. Established in 1954, the organization is based in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border, (46°14′3″N 6°3′19″E). CERN has 21 European member states with Israel is the first (and currently only) non-European country granted full membership.