On 18 April 2019, a delegation of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment of the Republic of Cuba and the Embassy of Cuba in the Russian Federation visited JINR. First Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment of Cuba Fernando Gonzalez, Councilor of the Embassy of Cuba in Russia Vivian Hitchman, Deputy Director for international contacts of the Ministry Carlos Mendez and Specialist of the Embassy of Cuba in Russia Raul Romero represented the delegation that came to Dubna.

In the JINR Directorate, the delegation was welcomed by JINR Vice-Director Academician B. Yu. Sharkov, JINR Chief Scientific Secretary A. S. Sorin, Head of the JINR International Cooperation Department D. V. Kamanin and Head of the Sector of the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions A. N. Nechaev. The meeting was dedicated to prospects for Cuba-JINR cooperation, in particular, in the issues of training the staff in the fields of nuclear technologies. The parties paid special attention to prospects of JINR participation in development of the Centre for Advanced Research of Cuba being constructed, which the JINR working group visited in March 2019.

The Cuban party expressed its interest in development of a long-term plan of Cuban participation in the JINR scientific activities in the frames of the strategy of JINR development until 2030 being worked out at present, as well as in extending the number of Cuban scientists in the Joint Institute. F. Gonzalez highlighted that the use of peaceful atom and development of nuclear power industry are of special significance for Cuba.

The visit of the Cuban delegation to the scientific infrastucture of the Institute started in the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions where the guests were acquainted with the Nanocentre and the Superheavy Element Factory. Then, the visit was continued in the Laboratory of Radiation Biology. Moreover, a short meeting of the delegation with the JINR staff from Cuba was held.

At the end of the visit, Fernando Gonzalez gave a short comment to the Institute’s media: “My visit to JINR, held on behalf of Minister of Science, Technology and Environment of the Republic of Cuba Elba Rosa Pérez Montoya, was organized to affirm the Cuban intention to support close cooperation with JINR as well as to define the fields of future development of this cooperation. For me, first of all, it was an opportunity to get acquainted with the Joint Institute, and I was surprised by what I have seen today. Before this visit, I have already participated in negotiations and meetings at which fields of the Institute’s scientific activities were discussed. Nevertheless, the best experience turned out to be the visit to JINR by myself and acquaintance with everything by my own, talks not only to the leaders but to staff members as well, meetings with scientists. The level of development JINR has achieved, especially in recent years, deeply impresses. I was also very satisfied with discussions held with the JINR Directorate at which several most important fields of the cooperation development were outlined. It concerns, in particular, new projects in the fields of nuclear medicine as well as a centre of nanotechnology being constructed in Cuba in the frames of which we have already had joint projects with JINR. Nowadays, our scientific cooperation is getting more and more intensive, and undoubtedly the range of joint projects will extend with both Russia and other JINR Member States.”

Photos by Elena Puzynina