The plenary session “Strategic Opportunities for Advancing Global Collaborative Perspectives Towards Achieving 2030 Main Research Goals” took place on September 13 in Cairo, the Arab Republic of Egypt. It was the first event on the margins of a large scientific workshop “Egypt – JINR: Today and Tomorrow”, organized under the guidance of the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology of Egypt.

The meeting was opened by JINR Director Academician Grigory Trubnikov, who acquainted the audience with JINR’s research areas, basic facilities and educational opportunities, as well as the Institute’s development strategy.

In his comments on the opening of the session, Grigory Trubnikov said: “I’m sure that the main advantage to Egypt of being a full member of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research is to build up more dynamic and energetic programme of scientific research and innovation with all the member countries of JINR. This brings excellent opportunities for students and young scientists. We all know Egypt as a cradle of civilization, the heart of the humankind. This ancient country values knowledge, science and innovative development. For the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research as one of the leading nuclear research centres this is also a new page of development. It’s not just with Egypt that a new window of opportunities for strategic partnership are being opened, but for other African countries as well. These issues will be discussed in detail at the upcoming session of the Committee of Plenipotentiaries of the JINR Member States in November 2021 in Sofia, Bulgaria. I’m sure that we’ll have a bright joint future”.

The participants of the ceremonial opening of the event were welcomed by the Chairman of the Egyptian Atomic Energy Agency (EAEA) Prof. Amr El-Hag Ali, the President of the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology of Egypt (ASRT) Prof. Mahmoud Sakr, and the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Egypt H. E. Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar.

In his speech, the President of ASRT Prof. Makhmoud Sakr noted a longstanding and fruitful scientific cooperation between Egypt and JINR as well as an active and diverse joint interaction in training young scientists. He pointed out that the ongoing large scientific workshop is the reflection of the ASRT’s commitment to enhance cooperation with foreign scientific institutions and organizations. Herewith, JINR is highlighted by the Academy as the key partner. “And of course, our major aim is the fully fledged membership of Egypt as a Member State of JINR”, emphasized Prof. Makhmoud Sakr when talking about the intention of further development of cooperation with JINR.

The welcome addresses on behalf of the JINR Member States were delivered by: the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Egypt H. E. Georgiy Borisenko – on the part of the JINR’s country of residence, the Ambassador of Romania to Egypt H. E. Mihai Stuparu – on the part of the country chairing the JINR Committee of Plenipotentiaries in 2021, and the Ambassador of Bulgaria in Egypt H. E. Deyan Angelov – on the part of Bulgaria and in honour of the Year of Bulgaria declared in JINR. Among the participants of the meeting there were the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Egypt, representatives of the Embassies of Kazakhstan, Slovakia and Hungary.

The JINR delegation to Cairo was represented by the Vice-Director Latchesar Kostov, Chief Scientific Secretary Sergey Nedelko, Director of International Cooperation Department Dmitry Kamanin, Director of the Laboratory of High Energy Physics (VBLHEP) Richard Lendický, Director of the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions (FLNR) Sergey Sidorchuk, Director of the Laboratory of Neutron Physics (FLNP) Valery Shvetsov, Director of the Laboratory of Theoretical Physics (BLTP) Dmitry Kazakov, Director of the Laboratory of Information Technologies (MLIT) Vladimir Korenkov, Deputy Director of the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems (DLNP) Dmitry Naumov, Director of the JINR University Centre Stanislav Pakuliak, and the head of the JINR national group of the Arab Republic of Egypt Wael Makhmoud Badawy.

A number of the leading specialists of JINR laboratories and Egyptian research centres take part in the topical parallel sessions of the workshop. The agenda of the event includes the meetings of the JINR’s leadership with the leaders of ASRT, the Ministry of Higher Education and the administration of the higher educational institutions and research institutes of the ARE.

A ceremonial opening of the JINR Information Centre at the headquarters of the Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology is scheduled for 10 AM (11 AM Moscow time) on 14 September. The online opening ceremony of the JINR IC was held in December 2020.