On 7 December 2018, the 9th regular International training programme for decision-makers in science and international scientific cooperation «JINR Expertise for Member States and Partner Countries» (JEMS-9) was concluded having expanded its geography. The week of the training programme was finished by a traditional round table with the JINR Directorate that was represented by JINR Vice-Directors B.Yu. Sharkov and R. Lednický.

Following the long-standing programme, participants of the training were acquainted with various aspects of the JINR activities, heard thematic lectures of leading specialists of the Institute, and visited the basic facilities. Thanks to the active position of participants, the programme was complemented by additional elements on the spot, in particular, a lecture on particle physics and JINR participation in the world-largest projects was added. The practical milestone of the training programme was working out of actions and other documents drafted jointly with participants of the programme, which were symbolically passed to the Iraqi and Rwanda representatives at the round table. The training programme also contributed to the planning of the upcoming joint events in Cuba and Chile, as well as in Vietnam where a JINR delegation will come at the beginning of the next year to continue discussions.

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Participants in their reports at the round table shared their impressions of the training programme, plans and practical results of the week spent in Dubna. Due to the general opinion of participants, the training not only provided a comprehensive overview of the Joint Institute but was also presented as a platform for establishing contacts with JINR and development of international cooperation. Many participants visited the JINR host country – Russia – for the first time and expressed their willingness to get acquainted with its culture closer having noted that they discovered an interesting and friendly country.

Nguyen Hao Quang, Vice-President of the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VINATOM): “Despite of the fact that it was my first visit to Russia and, subsequently, to JINR, I have heard a lot of good things about your Institute. So, now I see that JINR is fairly large research centre with the widest range of scientific research. A week is a short period of time to get acquainted with such a centre, but thanks to the training programme I managed to gain an excellent overview of your opportunities as well as to learn a rich history of the JINR foundation. I am very impressed by the JINR basic facilities. There are great opportunities for training young scientific staff. Those Vietnamese scientists who had worked here in the past formed the basis of nuclear physics in Vietnam. I hope that this will be continued in the future, that is why, when returning to Vietnam, I am going to discuss organization of training of young Vietnamese scientists at JINR with VINATOM President.” Nguyen Huu Quyet, Vice-Director of the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (Hanoi, Vietnam) added that in the nearest future, several young scientists will be selected and sent to JINR for work and study. Nguyen An Son, Dean of Faculty of Nuclear Engineering, the Dalat University (Vietnam) in his turn proposed to provide extensive coverage of available positions and scholarship for young scientists on the JINR website.

Sadeq Ghadhanfer Al-Zubaidi, Head of Technical Cooperation Department, Atomic Energy Affairs Directorate, the Ministry of Science and Technology (Baghdad, Iraq) is the second official representative of Iraq in JINR after the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iraq visited JINR in November 2014. He expressed his impressions of participation in JEMS in the following words: “The JEMS training programme is the open door for establishing cooperation with JINR. I am impressed by the level of your scientific research: big science, big facilities. It was not easy to prove the need in development of the scientific cooperation to our higher officials. Meanwhile, we are to carry out an enormous work on renovation of science in the country. We have many scientists, many scientific projects, but we lack the necessary equipment basis, and this is the field for fostering cooperation in the nearest future.”

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Emmanuel Munyangabe, Programme Scientist of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Rwanda: “I have already been in scientific organizations of the USA engaged in particle physics, and now I can say that JINR is a truly large scientific institute. Nowadays, Rwanda is establishing its own Nuclear Energy Agency, and cooperation with JINR will open to us big opportunities. During this week, we have already prepared to signing a starting document, and after returning home, we will continue work on development of cooperation with the Joint Institute.”

Fidel Ndahayo, Program Consultant of the Ministry of Infrastructure of Rwanda: “Rwanda is at the very beginning of its nuclear programme, and we are very inspired by the opened opportunity to build a microtrone with the support of JINR in our country. I firmly believe that the effective cooperation with the Joint Institute will soon bring the issue of making Rwanda a JINR Associate Member to the agenda. I think that next year it is worth to expect a visit of officials representing the Commission on Rwanda Nuclear Programme to JINR.”

José Luis Dona López, Advisor of the Nuclear Energy Agency and Advanced Technologies of Cuba (AENTA), represents Cuba in the JINR Finance Committee, constantly participates in meetings of the JINR Committee of Plenipotentiary Representatives. José Luis Dona López explained that his interest in the training programme is sparked by an opportunity to understand how decisions taken by the JINR governing bodies are implemented. He noted that the training programme gave an overview of the growing interest of European countries to cooperation with JINR, and he expressed his hope that cooperation with JINR with the countries of Latin America will also actively develop in the nearest future.

Photos by Elena Puzynina