Dear colleagues, employees of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research!

On behalf of the Directorate, I cordially congratulate you on the upcoming New Year! It is the time when we look back and sum up the results of the expiring year, make plans for the future. 2020 was a challenging time for us, the coronavirus infection affected everyone. However, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Institute’s staff continued the implementation of plans.

The pace of the creation of the NICA collider’s systems did not decrease. The installation of two new clusters of the Baikal neutrino telescope allowed the deep-underwater detector to achieve the effective volume of 0,35 km³ thus making the Baikal-GVD one of the three largest telescopes in terms of effective area and volume as well as the largest one in the Northern hemisphere. The supercomputer “Govorun” became one of the top-thirty in IO500 international rating. The implementation of the user programme of the IBR-2 nuclear research facility is underway under the pandemic conditions, and the first experiment on the synthesis of isotopes of moscovium at the Superheavy Element Factory (SHE Factory) has started. Further development of international cooperation was aimed at deepening contacts with partner scientific and research organizations, as well as at JINR integration into the global research infrastructure and attracting young people.

The year 2021 will be fateful to a certain extent for our Institute. JINR will turn 65. Nothing will prevent us from honourably celebrating this anniversary together with our colleagues and friends in the JINR Member States and partner countries. An extensive programme of anniversary celebrations is planned.

We witnessed the transfer of management levers of the Institute from hands to other, creatively gifted and younger hands at the November session of the Committee of Plenipotentiaries. From 1 January 2021, Academician G. V. Trubnikov, JINR Director-elect, will take over the management of the Institute. I am sure that Grigory Vladimirovich is absolutely ready to implement the ambitious development strategy of the Institute we have drafted jointly with leading specialists. We have doubled our strengths. I am ready to continue making every possible effort and to provide assistance to the new Director. I would like to wish Grigory Vladimirovich every success in his work, strengths, and great patience! I wish all the JINR employees good health, well-being, and successful implementation of all plans!

Academician Victor Matveev, JINR Director