1. Program started on August 1st, 2005 ALFA PROGRAMME CONFERENCE 'BEST PRACTICES & RESULTS OF ALFA PROJECTS THE FUTURE OF EU-LA COOPERATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION ' Mexico City, 21st – 22nd May 2007 L.Maiani, V. Riquer and A. Zepeda

2. Objectives 1.To train young generations of physicists in High Energy Physics, in which Europe is world leader, thereby promoting fundamental physics in Latin American countries and contributing to the modernization of physics education here. 2.To make use of CERN, DESY and Gran Sasso facilities, in particular the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), HERA and their experiments, as well as the Auger Experiment in Argentina, as fundamental tools for an advanced training programme. 3.To facilitate access of Latin American countries to the technological benefits in the accelerator, detector and information technology domains (GRID as an example). 4.To strengthen the integration of the European and Latin American Physics communities. Training Program Complementary training (CT): Mobility of undergraduate students of the two final years of the University courses Advanced training (AT): Doctorate, Master degrees or post-doctoral vocational specialisation courses Short-term training (STT): as part of post-graduate studies Researchers training (RT): Specialised scientific visits for researchers

3. Objectives of the Training Program The main objective of the Project is to create a network for the training of personnel both in European and Latin-American Institutes/Universities. Technology Transfer: we propose (1) to diffuse in LA the methods adopted at CERN and (2) to create a HEP Technology Data Base and make it available to the Funding Agencies for Basic and Applied research and to the Industrial Unions in LA, to promote further R&D. Outreach: training of some post doctoral students in the task of disseminating scientific culture to High School Teachers, through their participation in the annual CERN program for High School Teachers. The project is the basis to foster a sustainable collaboration between Europe and Latin America in field of HEP and associated technologies.

4. Management Structure Coordinator: Prof. Luciano Maiani, Università “La Sapienza”, Italy. Deputy Coordinator: Dr. Verónica Riquer, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Roma1, Italy. Executive Board: is the decisional body of the Project. Standing Executive Committee: prepares the decisions of the Executive Board. Elected in the first EB Meeting. Scientific Advisory Committee: is the advisory body to the Executive Board. Appointed in the first EB Meeting.

5. Latin America Argentina Brazilll Chile Colombia Cuba Mexico Peru Venezuela Europe 4 1 1 1 1 4 21 7 6 1 3 1 1 3 1 Grants first year, first call 1 1 CERN DESY France Italia Portugal Spain 2 1 2 3 3 1 1 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 3 1 1

6. Latin America Argentina Brazilll Chile Colombia Cuba Mexico Peru Venezuela Europe CERN France Italia DESY 1 1 1 1 2 6 8 1 2 6 1 9 1 2 2 2 1 Second call Spain 1 1 3 1 11 3 1 TOTAL GRANTS 1st & 2nd Year: 347 LA to EU: 243 EU to LA: 64 LA to LA: 40

7. Total: 789 Months Destinations of Grant- Holders from Latin America (Months)

8. Total: 82.5 Months Destinations of Grant-Holders from Europe (Months)

9. Total: 76 Months Destinations of Grant-Holders from/to Latin America (Months)

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12. It allowed Latin American groups to participate in the construction of the detectors for the LHC at CERN In particular, it allowed the Mexican group to fulfill its 2005-2006 (and now 2007) commitments in the construction of the ALICE detector in CERN and in the operation of the Pierre Auger Observatory. The regular funding agencies do not have the needed flexibility to respond to the rhythm of mobility required by the fast development of science (in this case the installation of detectors in CERN and the operation of the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina, for example). It allowed groups from countries where these aspects of science are less developed (Peru, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, Venezuela) to enter into the working groups in the big laboratories of Europe either joining the Mexican groups or through contacts facilitated by the HELEN organization. Impact

13. It has been particularly useful in allowing the initial contact of graduate students and young researchers, from Latin America, in long term international (European or with strong European involvement) projects. The involvement of graduate students has lead to high quality MSc and PhD thesis. HELEN has facilitated new agreements between Latin America governments and CERN which will make sustainable the collaboration that HELEN helped to initiate. The success of HELEN is based on 1) the adequacy of the mechanism for the advertising and selection of candidates for grants, 2) the appropriate choice, in the formulating phase, of participating groups, both in Latin America and in Europe, so to achieve a critical and functional mass, 3) The high quality and efficiency of the coordinator body.

14. Trainees at CERN

15. Press coverage