On 23 July, participants of a meeting of JINR Director Grigory Trubnikov with President of the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology of Egypt (ASRT) Mahmoud Sakr and ASRT Vice-President Gina El-Feky discussed a possible update of Egypt’s participation in JINR to the full membership. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the Russian Federation Ihab Nasr took part in the meeting accompanied by the 1st Advisor of the Embassy Mohamed Elvi. Head of the national group of Egypt in JINR Wael Badawy represented Egyptian employees at the event. The date of the meeting coincided with Revolution Day, the national holiday of Egypt.

Welcoming the ARE representatives, Academician Grigory Trubnikov noted the high level of JINR-Egypt cooperation proved by the successful implementation of the Roadmap for JINR-Egypt cooperation signed in 2018. “Egypt is our long-standing strategic partner. I am convinced that our today’s meeting is a significant step towards our joint successful future,” the JINR Director highlighted.

ASRT President Mahmoud Sakr noted that cooperation with JINR had enriched Egyptian science both in the areas of staff training and physical research. “Egypt enters a new era of scientific development and aims at a new knowledge-based economic model. We consider JINR as a strategic partner for the development of new scientific fields in the country, in particular, supercomputing, radiobiological research, applied and basic research, high-energy physics, as well as peaceful use of nuclear energy,” he added.

Ambassador Ihab Nasr in his turn said, “It is my fifth visit to the Joint Institute, and every time I come here I notice considerable progress in the JINR development. JINR’s successes in the fields of Egypt’s scientific interests provide a wide range of opportunities for further enhancement of our cooperation.”

As promising areas for cooperation with JINR, the ARE representatives noted the expertise and rich contacts of the Institute with Russian universities, as well as newly opened opportunities in the light of plans for opening a mathematics institute in Cairo.

The parties outlined the fields of joint interest aimed to expand participation of Egypt in JINR up to the full membership. To work on this issue and set particular tasks in fundamental science, innovations, staff training, and information work, the parties agreed to establish a joint expert group and organize a number of workshops. Thus, taking into account the normalisation of the epidemiological situation, a visit of a delegation of JINR heads and leading specialists of the Institute’s laboratories to Cairo was scheduled for September 2021. Moreover, it was proposed to organize a return visit of leaders in science, education, and international cooperation to JINR as participants of the JEMS training programme.

It is planned to sum up the milestones of joint work at the upcoming session of the Committee of Plenipotentiaries scheduled for November 2021 in Bulgaria.

The visit of the ASRT delegation also included acquaintance with the JINR scientific infrastructure. The guests visited the Laboratory of Radiation Biology, the Laboratory of Information Technologies, the multimedia exhibition dedicated to the 65th JINR anniversary. A meeting with leaders of the JINR University Centre was about the resumption of student internships and, in particular, the organization of a visit of school students scheduled for the beginning of September.

The ASRT delegation took part in the ceremonial meeting on the 65th anniversary of JINR and the city of Dubna that took place in compliance with anti-epidemic restrictions. At the end of the visit, the delegation attended the festive opening of the panel “Mendeleev’s Periodic Table” on the Volga embankment, which claims to be the largest periodic table in Eurasia.

Photos by Elena Puzynina