Information of JINR Directorate on current situation

Organization, 26 May 2022

Latest update: 26 May 2022

This page contains official information of the Directorate of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research on the current situation.

26 May 2022

On 25 May, a session of the Committee of Plenipotentiary Representatives of the JINR Member States was held in Dubna in the in-person format and via online connection.

The milestones of the session of the Committee of Plenipotentiary Representatives of the JINR Member States:

Participants considered and approved the concept of further Institute’s development in the upcoming seven-year period (2024 – 2030)
The strategic approach of the JINR Directorate to the expansion of geography of the Member States was supported. The approach will be complemented with the development of the network of information centres and science diplomacy tools
The updated JINR budget for 2022 was approved with a total amount of income and expenses of 293,362.6 thousand US dollars.

Among main scientific results of JINR, the Committee particularly highlighted the following:

During the third run, critical tasks have been solved at the NICA complex to ensure simultaneous operation of the three main accelerators of the complex, acceleration and output of a beam with an energy of up to 3 GeV/n
The Baikal-GVD neutrino telescope has reached the effective volume of 0,5 km³
More than 230 events of the synthesis of isotopes ^286,287Fl, ^286-289Mc, ²⁸³Cn have been obtained at the Superheavy Element Factory, including experiments at the GNS-2 separator. Moreover, these experiments have proven the ability of the target to withstand irradiation with a beam of an intensity of up to 6.5 microamperes of particles. In addition, specialists are concluding the commissioning tests of the GNS-3 separator (GRAND) at a beam of calcium-48 ions and preparations for the first experiment to study the chemical properties of elements 114 and 112 scheduled for the end of 2022.

The CP confirmed openness of the Institute and its readiness to continue fulfilling all current obligations to and agreements with CERN and the collaborations in which JINR participates, thus counting on CERN’s counter movement towards mutually enriching bilateral cooperation. CP has noted the high value of mutual intellectual exchange between JINR and CERN throughout many decades aimed at the development of global science. The current mission shared by the two largest centres of fundamental physics is to ensure strong friendly open cooperation in the future. The Committee of Plenipotentiary Representatives has expressed its firm conviction that international fundamental science should be kept away from any political contradictions.

At the CP session, the new members of the JINR Scientific Council have been elected:

Zhao Hongwei, Deputy Director of the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Tran Chi Thanh, President of the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VINATOM)
Ana Maria Cetto, President of the Mexican Physical Society

The consistent efforts towards increasing the status of membership of the Republic of Serbia in JINR continues. Discussion starts on the possibility of expanding cooperation with Israel, Turkey, Greece, China, India, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. Within the framework of the CP session, an active discussion took place on the adaptation of the format of participation of some European member states in JINR activities, taking into account the complicated geopolitical situation in the world.

In addition, on 23 May, the meeting of the JINR Finance Committee, which preceded the CP session, showed positive results of the financial year at the Institute.

According to experts, JINR shows a good level of budget execution of the organization.
In 2021, the revenue part of the Institute’s budget was fulfilled by 98%, the expenditure part — by 86%.
In 2021, the fulfillment of income from contributions by the JINR Member States to the main revenue part of the Institute’s budget amounted to 97%.
The Institute’s budget has a positive balance as of the end of the year.

19 May 2022

On 18 May, participants of a joint meeting of the boards of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus, and the State Committee on Science and Technology (SCST) of the Republic of Belarus highlighted the unique model of JINR, which makes it possible to integrate joint staff, scientific, and technological efforts of various countries. At a side event, JINR Director met with Plenipotentiary Representative of the Government of the Republic of Belarus in JINR, SCST Chairman Sergey Shlychkov.
The JINR Directorate have indexed fixed salaries of the staff by 5% from 1 April 2022. Salaries for April have been paid according to the indexation.

28 April 2022

About 90 % of superconducting magnets necessary for the NICA megascience project are ready for further work. The installation of collider ring’s magnets is in full swing. At the end of this week, the major electrical substation of the complex will be brought into operation thus supplying power to all NICA elements. There is a slight delay in the timing of the commissioning of cryogenic compressor stations. However, by the autumn of this year, work on them will be completed.
Participants of the 9th MPD Collaboration Meeting noted that all the components of stage 1 of the MPD experiment were being actively developed. Cooling of the solenoid to the temperature of liquid nitrogen is planned for June-July 2022. Commissioning of the first stage of the experiment is awaited in 2023. On 26 April, the MPD Collaboration welcomed a new member – the Laboratory of High Energy Physics of the Institute of Physics and Technology of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences.
The IBR-2 research reactor is currently in a temporary shutdown due to the preparations for the replacement of heat exchanges in the sodium cooling system of the facility. At the same time, scheduled technical maintenance of the facility and drafting of documents to get a license from Rostechnadzor to operate IBR-2 up to 2032 are underway. Moreover, specialists are studying the possibilities to extend the reactor’s life for physical experiments until 2040. In particular, production of an additional batch of fresh nuclear fuel is being considered.
To continue strengthening and developing international scientific contacts, on 24-30 April, JINR together with the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan have organized the first in-person International Workshop on Nuclear and Particle Physics. From now on, this event will take place regularly once in two years. The international interdisciplinary Workshop “Computational Biology and Physics” was organized on 28 April and gathered scientists from JINR, Russia, and Serbia.
An expert discussion platform organized at the Institute was one of the significant results of the JINR’s efforts in the international field. The first meeting of this club “Dubna Green Chamber Talks” took place on 22 April and was devoted to the discussion of the trends in the science diplomacy enhancement and the possible role JINR may play in this process as the international intergovernmental organization.

21 April 2022

The regular Baikal expedition has been recently completed, during which two new clusters of the Baikal-GVD neutrino telescope have been successfully installed. Now the total number of optical modules is 2,988. The modernisation of the IBR-2 reactor and the DC-140 accelerator is underway. Drafting of the technical specification has been completed, and drafting technical design of the MSC-230 medical accelerator begins. Experiments on the study of the properties of elements 112 and 114 at the DC-280 accelerator are under preparation. MLIT has ensured smooth functioning of all computer resources of the Institute.
The regular session of the Committee of Plenipotentiary Representatives of the Governments of the JINR Member States is scheduled for 25 May 2022 in Dubna (hybrid format). Issues to be discussed: budget, choosing the auditor, the regulations for grants and programmes, the JINR Pension Programme, and other scientific and financial issues.
JINR continues active development of international cooperation. In addition to the April visit of JINR leaders to Minsk and the meeting with Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Belarus in the country, a visit to the Republic of Armenia has been recently held. A number of working meetings, including with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, took place within the framework of the visit. Participants of events determined the prospects for cooperation enhancement and new formats of interaction. On 15 April, the JINR Information Centre was opened in Yerevan. It has become a new member of the actively developing partnership network.
According to the sociological study conducted jointly with the State University “Dubna” in early 2022, 64,1 % of JINR employees have described their level of job satisfaction at the Institute as “rather” and “fully satisfied”. In addition to increasing salaries and improving housing conditions, the staff noted the necessity to raise awareness about JINR’s social infrastructure support and development programmes.
The JINR Directorate plans to index fixed salaries of the staff by 5% from 1 April 2022 and increase additionally salaries of those employees who contribution much to the results of the Institute’s work, as well as for their qualifications and complexity of the work performed from 1 May 2022.
Modernisation of the Medical Unit No. 9 of the FMBA of Russia is proceeding according to the adopted strategy for 2021 – 2023: an electronic system for medical examinations and mobile teams for visits to enterprises have been created, repairs of premises are being completed, remote monitoring and the palliative department are being introduced, the rehabilitation department has been opened, and one of the most significant issues is being solved – the creation of the vascular centre.

7 April 2022

On 1 April, the third commissioning cycle at the NICA complex was successfully completed. It was the longest run in the project’s history. It was the first run in which three major accelerators of the complex, i.e. HILAC, the Booster, and the Nuclotron, operated simultaneously. For this purpose, a stable cooling mode of the Booster and the Nuclotron had been achieved. The Nuclotron cyclic accelerator was first launched since 2018. Specialists tested the modernised power supply system of the extraction channel and the new diagnostics system installed in the channel. Participants of the project managed to collect a large volume of data at the SRC (Short Range Correlation) physical experiment.

The next run is preliminarily scheduled for September 2022. It will not be a technological run and specialists will already use a heavy ion beam at the BM@N facility. Before that, the team of the project is going to install a specialised heavy ion source – krion – and adjust it to obtain the maximum beam luminousity.

The JINR Directorate congratulates the team of the project on successful completion of the run at the NICA accelerator complex!
In Dubna, like in the entire world, there is a systematic decrease in the number of people infected with COVID-19. Nevertheless, since the coronavirus has not fully receded yet, the JINR Directorate recommends the staff to take appropriate precautions. It should be reminded that people who have suffered from the coronavirus infection have an opportunity to pass an in-depth medical survey in Medical Unit No. 9 of FMBA of Russia in order to diagnose possible complications at an early stage.
The easing of COVID restrictions have made it possible to intensify JINR’s international cooperation in the fields of science and education. Thus, on 24 March, the full-time practice of the scientific youth from Egypt was concluded at JINR. Egypt became a full-fledged Member State of JINR in November 2021. That was the first in-person student practice after a long break.
At the end of March, the SARRP (Small Animal Radiation Research Platform) irradiation X-ray facility manufactured by Xstrahl (Great Britain) was brought into operation. It is designed for radiobiological studies on small laboratory animals. To date, it is the only SARRP system in Russia and Eastern Europe. It is the first facility of this scale and level in LRB JINR.
FLNR JINR studies the possibilities of the synthesis of element 120 with ⁵⁴Cr ion beam at the Superheavy Element Factory. A number of experiments is proposed that will complement the existing ideas about production processes of the heaviest nuclei and the properties of their decay.
Great attention is paid to the creation of a comfortable social environment in JINR. The JINR Women’s Committee is actively working. A number of events have been organized with its support. A musical evening of JINR employees has been held, some meeting have been organized to support mental and physical health. Representatives of Armenia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia took part in the events.
The Institute holds international events and meetings. Thus, on 6 April, a JINR delegation visited Minsk, Belarus. Some events are scheduled for 14 – 15 in Yerevan, Armenia. The International Workshop on Elementary Particles and Nuclear Physics will take place on 24 – 30 April in Almaty, Kazakhstan. On 25 – 29 April, the International Conference “Condensed Matter Research at the IBR-2” will be held online.

Active planning of large-scale international scientific forums for May, June, and July is underway. Thus, on 16 – 20 May, Dubna will host the 22nd JINR Training Course “JINR Expertise for Member States and Partner Countries”. In June, Days of Physics-2022 (1 – 5 June) will take place in Dubna. From 20 to 30 June, there will be meetings of the JINR Programme Advisory Committees. On 5 – 12 June, the Resort Hotel “Dubna” (Alushta) will host XI Conference of Young Scientists and Specialists “Alushta-2022”. The International Conference “Symmetry Methods in Physics” is scheduled for 10 – 16 July in Yerevan, Armenia. In the same month, the 34th International Summer Computer School-2022 will be held (19 July – 2 August) and the Moscow International Physics School 2022 (24 July – 2 August) will be held.
The JINR budget is being implemented according to the plans. The mechanisms for making currency payments by the Institute’s commitments in terms of the imposed restrictions have been worked out.
The Institute’s employees continue to carry out international cooperation within the framework of business and scientific visits to the Member States and partner countries.

23 March 2022

CP JINR Statement adopted at extraordinary session on 17 and 21 March 2022

On 17 and 21 March, an extraordinary meeting of the Plenipotentiary Representatives of the Governments of the JINR Member States was held. At the CP JINR session, the Statement on the necessity to preserve the unity of the Institute and international scientific partnership was adopted.

14 March 2022

Current information about key JINR projects

The commissioning run at the NICA accelerating complex is underway. Joint operation of the Nuclotron and the Booster has been achieved within this commissioning cycle. Data acquisition is going in the SRC (Short Range Correlation) experiment: today (14 March), the accelerating complex has extracted 9*10⁵ particles up to the SRC experiment (building 205).
Acceleration modes for titanium ions are being tested at the Superheavy Element Factory. A high-intense beam of titanium-50 is necessary for the experiments on the synthesis of new superheavy elements 119 and 120. Modernization of the U-400M accelerator is continuing. Nowadays, magnetic measurements of the field of the major cyclotron’s magnet are being carried out.
Cluster 9 of the Baikal-GVD Neutrino Telescope is about to be assembled soon. Preparations for bottom cable laying, the first one in this season, are finished. Repairing and upgrading of previously installed detector elements are coming to the end.

12 March 2022

We are all deeply concerned about the tragic situation of these days, we are watching news broadcasts with anxiety, and expect peace to be achieved as soon as possible. Just like all people, we feel deep sympathy for the victims.

We adhere to our fundamental principle: science brings nations together.

JINR professes the value of equality of scientists from all over the world, regardless of their race, gender, religion, citizenship, ethnic origin, and views. Our task is to bring new knowledge and our scientific results to the entire world scientific community. We build scientific bridges.

In today’s difficult situation, the main thing for us is to take care of all employees and organize further work of the Institute, where we all work together and support each other.

The Directorate holds regular meetings with national groups. All organizational, logistical, and financial issues that arise are being promptly resolved. The Directorate guarantees all employees of the Institute safety and working conditions corresponding to the status of an international intergovernmental organization.
The Director of the Institute holds regular consultations with Plenipotentiary Representatives of all the JINR Member States, as well as with Chairman of the Committee of Plenipotentiaries Florian Buzatu to take balanced decisions on the scientific and organizational-economic activities of the Institute.
Immediate decisions have been taken to make settlements with all suppliers and contractors of the Institute, both in the currency of the country of the Institute’s location and in the currencies of foreign countries.
The STRABAG company, the general contractor of the NICA project, has confirmed that it finds it the priority task to complete works and commission the facility in time, by the end of 2022, according to the plan despite the difficulties of the current situation. As of today, general construction works have been completed by 80%. The pace of installation of engineering systems of the building is increasing – ventilation, power and heat supply, water cooling and cold supply, low-current systems. Learn more…

4 March 2022 г.

Address of Director of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, RAS Academician Grigory Trubnikov to the staff of the Institute

Dear colleagues,

I address you, members of our common multinational scientific family. These days, we are all closely following the dramatic development of the situation in the world. It worries each of us. The Directorate of the Institute understands and shares your concerns about the news and the uncertainty of further development of events.

1 March 2022 г.

Information by JINR Directorate

The Directorate of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and the multinational staff of the international scientific centre are deeply concerned and worried about the current dramatic situation in the world, especially in a number of the JINR Member States.

The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research was established as the international intergovernmental organization based on the principles of the cooperation between scientists from various countries for the sake of joint investigation of the fundamental properties of the matter for the peaceful development of mankind. For more than 60 years, JINR has been uniting people focused on progress, understanding of the Universe, and assistance in the search for joint answers to global challenges.

28 February 2022 г.

Sofia Declaration on the value of international integration in science and technology in the Resolution of the JINR Scientific Council

On 25 February, in the resolution of the 131st session, the JINR Scientific Council noted the significance and timeliness of the Sofia Declaration on the value of international integration in science and technology adopted by the Committee of Plenipotentiaries in 2021 at its November session.

The Scientific Council encouraged JINR for proactive work to unite different countries and peoples for multinational dialogue in the name of peace and progressive scientific, technological and cultural development of humankind.