On 24 April, Professor Amr El-hag Ali, Chairman of the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA) and Member of the JINR Scientific Council, arrived at the Joint Institute at the invitation of the JINR Directorate. The programme of the 4-day acquaintance visit of Amr El-hag Ali includes discussions of joint plans for cooperation enhancement, a number of working meetings, including with representatives of the Rosatom State Corporation, as well as acquaintance with the infrastructure and scientific fields of JINR within the JEMS training programme being held these days.

JINR Director RAS Academician Grigory Trubnikov welcomed Professor Amr El-hag at the Directorate of the Institute. He noted a long-standing history of cooperation between the Joint institute and EAEA. “Our fruitful, mutually beneficial cooperation has already three decades of history. I hope that this will help further strengthen our contacts and develop new joint projects,” Grigory Trubnikov said.

Professor Amr El-hag Ali supported the idea to organize new joint research. “Cooperation of Egypt and JINR is of mutual interest for both sides. Our doors are open, and it is important not only to strengthen already existing contacts but also to develop cooperation by initiating new, larger projects and expending the range of joint scientific works in the fields of nuclear physics,” he highlighted.

The parties noted neutron studies and reactor technologies as the fields of mutual interest. Thus, participants of the meeting considered a possibility of JINR’s participation in the modernisation of the EAEA research reactor in terms of the creation of research facilities and organization of the experimental programme at them. Such a project would contribute to the exchange of expertise between JINR and Egypt, increase of competences of Egyptian specialists, and development of nuclear technologies in the country.

Moreover, since EAEA is the main implementor of the scientific and educational programmes of the Arab Atomic Energy Agency, it is ready to contribute to the acquaintance of African countries with research and technologies of JINR, as well as to attract new scientific partners for the Institute. Taking into consideration a special role of JINR as an international intergovernmental scientific centre, it was proposed to organize a platform on the Institute’s basis for training specialists from other atomic agencies, as well as for the experience and technology exchange.

Participants of the event concluded the meeting by agreeing on organizing a workshop alongside the JEMS-22 training programme taking place these days to present the EAEA research fields and infrastructure projects, as well as to indicate the priority directions for deepening ties.

Professor Amr El-hag Ali commented on the results of the meeting at the Directorate for the Institute’s media, “The Joint Institute and the Arab Atomic Energy Agency conduct an extensive range of research on radiation and nuclear sciences. We are waiting for some joint with JINR infrastructure projects to increase the capacity of nuclear science and technology in Egypt. Moreover, I am glad to join the JEMS-22 programme that allows me to get acquainted with activities of the Laboratories in detail and discuss with their heads and specialists how we can collaborate.”