From 19 to 22 September, the World Conference on Basic Sciences and Sustainable Development was held in Belgrade, Serbia. The event became one of the main events of the Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD 2022). A delegation of the Joint Institute, co-organizer of IYBSSD 2022, attended the Conference.

Head of the JINR delegation, Vice-Director of the Institute Vladimir Kekelidze noted the breadth of topics presented at the Сonference since issues from nuclear physics to politics were discussed. “Numerous meetings were held on the sidelines of the event. One of them was proposed by Michel Spiro, President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) and a long-time friend of the Joint Institute. Participants discussed the relationship between politics and science. The whole conference was imbued with the spirit of solidarity of scientists. The consolidating role of science was emphasised,” Vladimir Kekelidze said.

Noting that sustainable development was discussed at the Conference as an urgent need of society for transformation, Michel Spiro highlighted that the Conference became the flagship event of IYBSSD 2022, which was attended by people of various scientific profiles from around the world.

Vladimir Kekelidze, Director of the Laboratory of Radiation Biology Aleksandr Bugay, Advisor to the Directorate of the Laboratory of Neutron Physics Marina Frontasyeva, and Scientific Secretary of the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions Alexander Karpov made reports on behalf of the Joint Institute at the Conference.

In his speech, Vice-Director of the Institute Vladimir Kekelidze presented the NICA megascience project implemented at JINR to the audience. He spoke about scientific goals of the accelerator complex, its technical characteristics. The MPD and SPD detectors were presented to study heavy ion collisions and nucleon spin structure. Tasks of the BM@N experiment were discussed, the physical programme of which for the study of short-range correlations is already being implemented.

LRB Director Aleksandr Bugay presented a report on interdisciplinary studies of the radiation on the brain, which are carried out at JINR accelerators. Among the key socially significant applications, tasks of assessing radiation risks in manned space missions, as well as problems of brain tumour therapy and the identification of mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases were discussed.

Marina Frontasyeva presented a report “Monitoring of long-term and large-scale deposition of air pollutants based on moss analysis within the framework of the UN Air Europe Programme (UNECE ICP Vegetation). The JINR role in this Programme since 2014 was shown, when its coordination was transferred to JINR. The host country is actively participating in this UN Programme with the support of grants from the Plenipotentiary Representative of Serbia to JINR and has already contributed to the next study of 2020 – 2021. At the Conference in Belgrade, M. V. Frontasyeva discussed the possibility of biomonitoring air pollutants in Pakistan, Israel, and the Republic of the Congo.

Alexander Karpov’s report was devoted to the search for the boundaries of the Mendeleev Periodic Table. The report covered the history of the discovery of the heaviest elements and, in particular, those located near the island of stability of superheavy elements. The existing possibilities and prospects for the synthesis and research of superheavy elements, which are opening up in connection with the successful launch of the Superheavy Elements Factory in FLNR JINR, were also considered. The report focused on the role of international cooperation, which is necessary to solve major scientific problems.

“The Conference have made a great impression on JINR participants,” Vladimir Kekelidze shared his impressions. “All our reports have aroused interest among participants, there have been a lot of questions and discussions.”

On the sidelines of the Forum, the status of the Serbia’s participation in the Joint Institute was discussed with State Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technological Development of Serbia, Marijana Dukić Mijatović. Also at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, Head of the JINR delegation Vladimir Kekelidze met with State Secretary of the Ministry Ivica Radovic, who confirmed the intentions of Serbian colleagues to raise the status of the country at the Institute.

This conference was organized jointly by UNESCO, the World Academy of Art and Science, the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Club of Rome, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technological Development of Serbia, the World University Consortium, the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, and the Serbian Association of Economists. The World Academy of Art and Science was the initiator of the event. The Conference programme included 67 reports on the importance of basic sciences for sustainable development, advanced fundamental research in mathematics and physics, chemistry and biology, the interdisciplinarity of fundamental research, their role in medicine and environmental protection. A poster session on the role of women in science was held. At the special session, participants discussed the latest report by the Club of Rome.