On 6 – 10 November, the second conference “NICA Days in Warsaw” organized by the Warsaw University of Technology and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research was held.

130 experts, scientists, engineers and students working and conducting their research in the field of heavy ions physics and employed in construction and engineering of control and measuring equipment for conducting experiments at the NICA accelerator complex took part in the event. Warsaw, Wroclaw Universities, National centre of Nuclear Research, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Poznan, Gdańsk, Lublin Universities of Technology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Molecular Physics and other Polish scientific and educational centres were represented at the Conference. Moreover, there were representatives of Germany, the USA, Israel, Ukraine, France and a large-scale delegation from JINR.

Sessions were conducted by sections, more than 100 reports were made. All the aspects of the mega-science project NICA implementation were touched upon in reports: heavy ions collisions, scientific programme, structure and construction of the NICA accelerator complex, new technologies and equipment developed for NICA, systems control, and automation of measuring processes. Furthermore, other directions of JINR activities and possibilities for young scientists in JINR were described.

On the first day of the Conference the agreement on establishment of the Consortium of Polish research institutes interested in the project was signed. The Warsaw University of Technology, National Centre of Nuclear Research are included in the Consortium Agreement.

On 7 November, the JINR delegation was invited by S.V.Andreev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of RF in Poland, to dinner in the Embassy.

On 8 November, JINR Vice-Director R.Lednický, JINR Chief Scientific Secretary A.Sorin, PAC PP Chairman I.Tserruya, JINR Press Secretary B.Starchenko, VBLHEP Scientific Secretary D.Peshekhonov, representatives of the Warsaw University of Technology A.Kisiel, T.Staretski, K.Ponyak, and M. Rybczynski from the Jan Kochanowski University visited to National Centre of Nuclear Research (NCBJ) in Świerk.

Some possibilities of NCBJ laboratories that can by useful for the NICA project were presented. The ZdAJ Department, a manufacturer of medical and industrial accelerators, develops unique elements for large-scale European research centres, including CERN, XFEL in Hamburg, ESS in Lund. The CNC machine park that produces fast-wave structures for Linac-4, one of the LHC component, was demonstrated to the guests. Moreover, the guests visited the research laboratory of NCBJ, in which materials under ionizing radiation are studied, the laboratory of detectors, the laboratory of electronics, the centre of high-performance computers.

Polish research institutes’ potential contribution to the NICA project will be thoroughly analyzed in the nearest months. The Consortium established on 6 November is expected to regulate and coordinate this work.

Academician Yuri Oganessian, a world-class expert in the field of heavy elements, became a special guest in Świerk. He visited the Department of Education of NCBJ and at the end of his visit extended warm congratulations to the Department’s Director Ludwig Dobzinski.

JINR delegation presented an exhibition arranged by the Scientific Information Department of JINR.

It should be reminded that in the frames of the first conference “NICA Days in Warsaw” held in 2015, JINR Director Academician V.Matveev and WUT Vice-Rector for Research R.Bacewicz signed the agreement on JINR-WUT cooperation that would contribute to collaboration development and attracting students, post-graduate students, and scientists of WUT to participate in the NICA project. This year the Addendum to the Framework Agreement was signed.

At the same time, the conference devoted to 150th anniversary of Marie Skłodowska Curie was held. The festive celebration of the anniversary was organized at the WUT square. Ada Yonath, a winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry of 2009 (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel), and Academician Yu.Oganessian became the Conference guests of honor. Yuri Oganessian delivered a lecture on history of new chemical elements discovery – from Mendeleev periodic table development to the present moment. The lecture triggered considerable interest and admire among scientific audience.

Galina Myalkovskaya, JINR Weekly Newspaper