The First stone laying ceremony for the mega-Science project “Complex of Superconducting Rings for Heavy Ion Colliding Beams (NICA complex)” will take place at the Laboratory for High Energy Physics (VBLHEP) of JINR on 25 March 2016. The geodetic survey was completed on the territory of the VBLHEP and the preparation of the construction of the Collider rings and buildings for experimental facilities is now in progress.

The main goal of the project is to start experimental study of hot and dense strongly interacting baryonic matter and search for possible signs of the mixed phase and critical endpoint in heavy ion collisions. Another physics goal of NICA are future experimental studies of spin physics with colliding beams of polarized protons and light nuclei, and also fixed target experiments on ion beams.

JINR Vice-Director, RAS Corresponding member, Grigory Trubnikov: “NICA will be the first project of mega-science class in Russia supported by the Government. Altogether, this will give a great development impulse and a signal to countries which are not JINR members, but want to participate in the NICA project. This will bring in partners from around the world. At present, China, Italy, Germany and South Africa are ready to joint the project.”