Dear colleagues, staff members of our international Institute in science-town Dubna!

I congratulate you on the Day of Russian Science! This glorious holiday is celebrated on day when Peter the Great signed the Decree on establishing the Emperor Academy of Sciences and Arts in St.-Petersburg in 1724. Russian scientists have always been the driving force of progress, they are the basis for prosperity of the country, active conveyers of the message that the wide international cooperation in the fields of culture, science and education serves the interests of both our country and the humanity at large.

The new scientific results and discoveries acquired by the Institute in the last year have fundamental importance and contribute to progress of modern education and innovative development. Nowadays, implementation of ambitious scientific and technological tasks set by the Seven-Year Plan is under way in JINR. The results of the first year of the Plan that were summarized at the winter PAC meetings inspire optimism and hope for further successful establishment of new nuclear facilities and leading research programmes including promising mega science projects. We are grateful to the governments of the Russian Federation and all the JINR Member States for their active support of development of our joint international centre on the banks of the Volga river.

I wish to the JINR staff, scientists, engineers, constructors, all people involved in science and research complex of Dubna, our colleagues, partners from scientific centres of Russia and from abroad good health, welfare, career achievements and new scientific discoveries!

Academician Victor Matveev, JINR Director