On 13 March 2021, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin signed an order on the plan of main events in the frames of the Year of Science and Technology in Russia.

By the decision of the Government of the Russian Federation, two events of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research have been categorized as the most significant federal ones in the Plan of the Year: in addition to the launch of the Baikal-GVD neutrino telescope on lake Baikal on 13 March, the first run of full acceleration cycle at extracted beams of the NICA complex (the BM@N experimental programme).

JINR Director Academician Grigory Trubnikov commented on this event, “Our Institute highly appreciates the fact that the Government of the Russian Federation included two bright events under the auspices of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research into the plan of main events of the Year of Science and Technology in Russia. This honour was awarded to the launch of the Baikal-GVD deep-underwater neutrino telescope and the first run of the full acceleration cycle at extracted beams of the NICA complex. I think that the inclusion of these flagship JINR initiatives in the programme of the Year will allow the international team of scientists from Dubna to tell both citizens of Russia, i.e. the country of JINR location, and the general public of other JINR Member States about these unique scientific projects. Of course, being an international scientific centre, we highly appreciate that the Programme of the Year highlights the importance of international scientific and technological cooperation for the Russian Federation. The format of the Year of Science and Technology in Russia also resonates in a good way with the anniversary of the Institute, which is celebrating its 65th jubilee this year.”

Background information:

Vladimir Putin declared 2021 the Year of Science and Technology. The main goals of it are to attract talented young people to the fields of science and technologies and to provide information about the scientific achievements of Russian scientists. This year, the focus will be on science popularization and modern technologies.