On 30 August 2022, a JINR delegation took part in the 26th meeting of the Sub-commission for Scientific and Technical Cooperation of the Russian-Chinese Commission for the Preparation of Regular Meetings with Heads of Governments. Director of the Joint Institute Grigory Trubnikov addressed the event.

The parties underlined the high level and broad scope of cooperation between the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and scientific organizations of the People’s Republic of China. They also confirmed the advisability of signing a declaration of intent between JINR and relevant institutions of the People’s Republic of China to implement cooperative work in the field of basic scientific research. The parties agreed to hold consultations on agreeing the draft of the document.

One of the topical issues in the agenda was the discussion of the cooperation in the frames of the megascience projects. It was noted that both sides pay particular attention to the development of such projects in their territories and welcome cross-participation in them. RAS Academician Grigory Trubnikov spoke about the results and prospects of cooperation within the NICA megascience project.

He noted that a number of documents had been signed, which contributed to a significant enhancement of contacts between JINR and the People’s Republic of China. One of them was the Agreement between the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the Joint Institute on China’s participation in the construction and exploitation of the JINR flagship project of the NICA complex, signed in August 2020. 12 scientific organizations and universities of the country have joined the implementation of the megascience project, in particular, the development of superconducting magnet and detector technologies. Wu Yan, Deputy Head of the International Cooperation Department of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who in her turn spoke on behalf of China on the same topic, noted that key components of the NICA complex, which were developed jointly by JINR and China, had been put into batch production.

Grigory Trubnikov said that 8 research institutes and 13 universities of China participate in JINR research on 20 scientific topics. Another important outcome of JINR’s cooperation with China was the launch of the first superconducting cyclotron at the Institute of Plasma Physics in Hefei, which was created through the joint efforts of China and Dubna.

The signing of a declaration on cooperation between the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and JINR is intended to give a new impetus to cooperation. It was noted that this form of cooperation had already shown its effectiveness in the case of such documents signed with Germany and South Africa. “The trilateral declaration will create an intergovernmental basis for further mutually beneficial cooperation in basic scientific research,” Grigory Trubnikov said. “And the establishment of a joint coordinating committee within it will increase the efficiency of organising and planning joint activities.”

The JINR delegation included JINR Vice-Director and Leader of the NICA megascience project Vladimir Kekelidze, JINR Chief Scientific Secretary Sergey Nedelko, and JINR Director Advisor for International Cooperation Irek Suleymanov.