MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/. Russia's Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the European organization for nuclear research CERN have signed an agreement on the maintenance of CERN's Large Hadron Collider, the ministry's press-service said on Friday.

"Education and Science Minister Valery Falkov and CERN's Director-General Fabiola Gianotti at the 43rd meeting of the Russia-CERN Committee signed a protocol on the technical maintenance and operation of the Large Hadron Collider's detectors. According to the protocol, the Russian government plans to contribute its annual cash fee to the Large Hadron collider's collaboration funds. The total contribution of all CERN participants will cover the costs of the LHC detectors maintenance and operation," the news release says.

The document will promote further active cooperation by Russian scientists and CERN and also create conditions for the development of innovative activities and training highly skilled personnel for the sake of international research cooperation and Russia's breakthrough technological development, the ministry said.

"Cooperation with CERN gives Russian scientists and engineers access to unique equipment, and the most advanced computer technologies, and world-level scientific and technological solutions. We support the participation of our science organizations in further research. I am certain that the protocol that we signed today will give an impetus to our years-long cooperation," the news release quotes Falkov as saying.

CERN is one of the leading world organizations conducting research into particle physics. It was established in 1954 and now incorporates 23 member-countries and nine associate members. Three countries - Russia, the United States and Japan - are observers.