On 23 April, the 16th international training programme for decision-makers in science and international scientific cooperation JEMS – «JINR Expertise for Member States and Partner Countries» (JEMS-16) was concluded. Participants from universities and scientific organizations of Belarus, Bulgaria, and Russia had a 5-day acquaintance with activities of the Joint Institute according to the traditional programme divided into thematic days.

A peculiarity of the past training programme was the general interest of participants in the discussion of the concept of JINR Information Centres. That is why on 21 April, a Round Table “JINR Information Centres” was organized on the sidelines of JEMS with wide participation of JINR representatives and cooperating organizations, including the actively operating first JINR Information Centre in the South of Russia.

The milestones of the 16th JEMS training programme were summed up at the final meeting organized in the round-table format in the JINR Scientists’ Club. JINR Chief Scientific Secretary Sergey Nedelko welcomed “interns” on behalf of the JINR Directorate. Supervisor of the JEMS training programme, Head of the International Cooperation Department Dmitry Kamanin moderated the event. Representatives of laboratories and the JINR University Centre, as well as contact persons of JINR on interaction with represented universities, took part in the event.

Participants of the round table discussed ideas that had emerged during the training programme on the organization of the cooperation both with JINR and between participating universities. During the opinion exchange, participants highlighted that the training programme not only presented the Institute to interns but also allowed JINR representatives to learn about scientific studies of colleagues. Some JEMS-16 participants found the format of the programme effective and allowing its participants to learn a lot about the Institute, even for those who were already familiar with it. A considerable part of the discussion was devoted to JINR Information Centres, which were noted as a promising and effective platform for interaction and popularization of natural sciences among young people.

Participants of the training programme shared their impressions and practical results of their visit to JINR.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Igor Kovalev, Head of the Isotope Cyclotron and Radiochemical Laboratory, Republican specialized scientific-practical medical centre of oncology and radiology of the Republic of Belarus, noted in his speech the JINR openness policy, as well as expressed hope for the organization of the cooperation with the Laboratory of Radiation Biology in the fields of genetic studies and radiophysics. “Upon our return, we will consider jointly with the centre’s heads the issue of organizing a training programme of our specialists in JINR in the fields of nuclear facilities. We will also discuss the format of JINR Information Centres,” Igor Kovalev added.

Dimitar Mladenov, a coordinator of the JINR Information Centre at the Faculty of Physics of Sofia University being prepared for opening in the frames of the Year of Bulgaria in JINR, expressed the readiness of the Bulgarian party to contribute to the spread of information about the Institute in neighbouring countries of the European Union. Deputy Chief Scientific Secretary of the Institute Otilia Culicov in her comment noted that Romania is also preparing for the establishment of a JINR Information Centre.

Director of the NRI of Applied Physics Andrey Tanaev, who represented the delegation from the Irkutsk State University, noted a highly informative format of the JEMS training programme. As one of the practical results of the delegation’s work in Dubna, he highlighted a joint JINR-ISU astrophysical laboratory being prepared for the launch. The in-depth discussion of the laboratory took place at a meeting with the JINR Directorate on 22 April. Mr Tanaev highlighted that the training programme provided ISU representatives with an opportunity to outline plans for future cooperation with the Far Eastern Federal University. Moreover, the University is now ready to start working in a new direction: to organize an IC at its site.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Representatives of the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) in their turn noted the cooperation in the strategy for FEFU fields of interdisciplinary studies, particularly, in the fields of the JINR Innovative Centre under development, as one of the results of their participation in the JEMS. They also noted joint projects in the fields of quantum biology and ecology. Alexander Molochkov, Head of the Pacific Quantum Center at FEFU School of Biomedicine, noted in this regard the following, “JINR has a unique scientific facility, which has no analogues in any scientific centre. That is the Laboratory of Theoretical Physics. BLTP has a considerable number of outstanding theoreticians with whom young researchers can easily communicate. And I hope that we will use this opportunity for the benefit of our students.” He also noted that the participation in JEMS has given him a deep understanding of the format of JINR Information Centres that turned out to be much more interesting than it seemed to be. So, Alexander Molochkov proposed the idea of creating a contact network of JINR Information Centres. A FEFU representative Natalia Grushchakova, Acting Head of the Scientific and Organizational Department of the School of Biomedicine, also raised the topic of joint research in the fields of ecology. She proposed to combine the methods of the Laboratory of Neutron Physics for the analysis of air pollution based on moss-biomonitors with already existing FEFU developments so that to expand the geographical scope of FLNP research from Europe to the Far East of the Russian Federation. Moreover, FEFU representatives noted the special creative atmosphere of JINR, in particular, Director of the FEFU Polytechnic Institute Alexander Vagner said, “Having got acquainted with the fields of activities of various scientific teams of JINR, it seems like the task of searching for the island of stability in nuclear physics has been already implemented by scientists from the JINR Member States. If we consider Dubna as an island, then JINR is exactly the island of stability in the scientific space.”

A large delegation from Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) took part in the JEMS-16 training programme. Its representatives expressed a common opinion that the training programme provided an opportunity not only to get acquainted with the JINR scientific studies in a short time but also to learn about wide educational opportunities of the Institute. In addition, according to Alexey Gogolev, Director of the Research School of Physics of High-Energy Processes, working contacts with ISU representatives were established thanks to the participation in JEMS. Alexey Goriunov, Head of the TPU Division for Nuclear-Fuel Cycle, spoke about the opening of the JINR Information Centre being prepared in the TPU and added that the training programme gave a practical understanding of the IC format and necessary steps for its launch. Roman Laptev, Dean of the Department of Experimental Physics, highlighted a wide field for cooperation with JINR especially interesting for the UC JINR. It was about organizing some joint scientific projects with the participation of TPU students, a considerable part of whom are young scientists from various countries of the world. Andrey Semenov, senior lecturer of the TPU Division for Nuclear-Fuel Cycle, informed that as a result of JEMS, the Joint Institute had found a new ambassador ready to spread information about JINR among TPU Bachelors and Masters majoring in nuclear physics with whom he works. “It was a pleasure to see that JINR, as an international centre located in the territory of the Russian Federation, is not inferior to other international scientific centres, it implements ultra-modern technologies, and it is open to the entire world,” Alexey Shevelev, Deputy Director of the Research School of Physics of High-Energy Processes, summed up comments of TPU representatives.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

JINR Chief Scientific Secretary Sergey Nedelko summed up the results of the round table and noted the innovative activities as a platform for the development of further JINR interaction with the universities. “We are strengthening each other in this direction,” he said. “The cooperation of the Joint Institute with universities, coupled with the expansion of the JINR University Centre in the direction of associate staff, is of key importance and opens up a new field for joint activities.”

The round table was concluded with the solemn presentation of certificates of completion of the JEMS training programme to participants.

The next JEMS international training programme is already scheduled and, subject to a favourable epidemiological situation, will take place from 24 to 28 May 2021.

Photos by Igor Lapenko