Physics experiment 'should inspire young'

British involvement in the Large Hadron Collider should spark interest in the next generation of scientists, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

The enormous machine, a 27km ring located underground on the France-Switzerland border, was successfully fired up on Wednesday, though experiments will not begin for several weeks, and the research benefits are unlikely to be seen for years.

When scientists begin to use the £5 billion machine to produce data, they hope to understand the formation of the universe in the immediate aftermath of the Big Bang.

The project, on which the UK has spent hundreds of millions of pounds, has been criticised for its cost and has been legally challenged on the grounds that it might destroy the planet.

However, Tim Bradshaw, the CBI's head of science, technology and innovation, praised the efforts of those working on the "awe-inspiring" project.

"Such flagship projects can help people engage with science and inspire the next generation of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians," he added.

"We don't know what the long term impact of the investment made will be, but many technologies developed for the experiment could find applications in areas such as medicine, sensors, engineering and power generation."