The agreements with the National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent State Technical University, and Namangan Institute of Engineering and Technology are aimed at training staff and conducting joint research on nuclear energy and medicine, ecology, nuclear and nanotechnologies, electronics, computer technologies. The documents were signed during the visit of the delegation of the Joint Institute to the Republic of Uzbekistan on 4 – 8 October. JINR scientists also took part in a scientific forum in Namangan, met with representatives of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and leading universities of the country.

One of the key areas of development of the JINR-Uzbekistan cooperation will be the training of highly qualified scientific and engineering staff. Signing of the agreements with the universities of Uzbekistan confirmed this intention. The event can be considered unique since agreements were signed directly with universities for the first time in the history of cooperation between the Joint Institute and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Photos by Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan

In Tashkent, the delegation of the Joint Institute headed by JINR Director Grigory Trubnikov met with rectors, representatives of the teaching staff, and students of the National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent State Technical University, the Tashkent University of Information Technologies, Tashkent Medical Academy. The Chairman of the work meeting was Bekhzod Yuldashev, Plenipotentiary Representative of the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in JINR, President of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan. Participants discussed issues of student and academic exchange between country’s universities and JINR, opportunities for practical training and dissertation defence in Dubna.

Director of the Joint Institute Grigory Trubnikov highlighted the importance of cooperation between universities and scientific organizations. “Dozens of countries that cooperate with Dubna have often started interacting with JINR through universities, because scientific thought, young energetic science is boiling in them,” he said and invited students and young scientists of Uzbekistan to actively participate in projects of the Joint Institute. In this regard, a proposal was made to develop contacts through the JINR University Centre, including the use of capabilities of the Institute’s Virtual Laboratory.

Participants expressed their interest in carrying out joint work on biogenetic technologies, hydrogen energy, diagnostic radiology, laser metrology, and information technologies. The fact that JINR facilities make it possible to conduct research with all types of radiation opens up broad prospects for cooperation. Participants discussed the issue of participation of Uzbek students and scientists in research at LINAC-200.

At the meeting at the Academy of Sciences, Academy’s President Bekhzod Yuldashev noted a long-standing scientific cooperation between Uzbekistan and JINR, the high qualification of Dubna scientists, and the strongest scientific school of the Institute. He emphasised that the government pays great attention to the development of science and education, and cooperation with JINR would further contribute to it. “JINR has a wide range of opportunities to train young people, one of them is that the Institute has the right to independently award scientific degrees,” he said. Uzbekistan focuses on expanding existing cooperation with JINR in this area. The President of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan highlighted the need to apply best practices for regular professional development of university teachers.

The meeting of the Academy of Sciences was attended by scientists from the Institute of Nuclear Physics, the Institute of Materials Science, the Arifov Institute of Ion-Plasma and Laser Technologies, the Institute of Mechanics and Seismic Stability of Structures, the Institute of Energy Problems, representatives of the executive authorities of Uzbekistan, interested ministries, university rectors, and heads of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic Uzbekistan.

The Physics – 2022 Forum in Namangan on 4 – 5 October preceded the official visit of the JINR delegation to scientific and higher educational institutions of Uzbekistan. More than 250 participants from 13 countries discussed the status and prospects for physics development. During plenary sessions, JINR scientists presented reports on research carried out at the Institute’s laboratories. JINR Vice-Director Latchesar Kostov delivered a report at the Forum. Two sessions were chaired by Deputy Scientific Leader of the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions JINR Mikhail Itkis and Director of the Laboratory of Radiation Biology Aleksandr Bugay.

In addition, on 7 October, the delegation of the Joint Institute visited the Institute of Materials Science of the NGO “Physics-Sun” of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Parkent.