Republic of South Africa

General information on collaboration between the Republic of South Africa and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research

The collaboration between the Republic of South Africa and JINR has been developing since 1993 when Professor Heiss Walter Dieter and Professor David McLachlan from the University of Johannesburg visited Dubna for the first time. The initiator of collaboration from the JINR party was JINR Director Professor Vladimir Georgievich Kadyshevsky, who payed a return visit to Johannesburg in September 1993, and a well-known specialist in the fields of nuclear technology Professor Robert Martin Adam, Head of the Department of Science and Technology of the Republic of South Africa, was the initiator of this cooperation from the RSA party.

The Agreement of cooperation, which provided favorable conditions for further development of collaboration in the fields of nuclear physics between JINR and the RSA, was signed in 1994. Professor Vladimir Borisovich Belyaev from JINR and Professor Harry Fiedeldy from the University of South Africa (Pretoria) actively participated in its preparation. As a part of the agreement, cooperation and exchange of visits was implemented at the beginning of the 2000s in four directions: “Nuclear theory”, “ALICE: Large Collider Experiment on the LHC Heavy Ion Beams”, “Nuclear Physics with Neutrons – Fundamental and Applied Investigations”, “Computer Physics for Theoretical and Experimental Research”. The organizations cooperating with JINR in these fields were the Universities of Pretoria and Cape Town.

A new period of partnership started in 2004 when Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of South Africa in the Russian Federation Mochubella Jacob Secku and Director General of the International Resources of the Department of Science and Technology of the Republic of South Africa (DST) Dr. Neville Arendse visited JINR. The stimulated further development of scientific cooperation, and on 5 October 2005, in Moscow, the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research was signed. The aim of this Memorandum was the development of mutual collaboration between the DST and JINR in the sphere of scientific and technological research.

On 14 February 2006, the meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee of the DST and JINR took place. According to the decision of the first session, the total contribution of the RSA to JINR in 2006 would be 1250000 USD. The part of this sum (20%) had to be spent for the development of the infrastructure of JINR. The contribution was distributed proportionally among the five priority fields of research: grid-technologies and theory, investigations on neutron beams, heavy ion physics, hadronic therapy, and also the work connected with the spherical fuel element reactor with the helium carrier. For the optimal distribution of financing among priority research fields, both sides appointed the coordinators of work and persons responsible for the general coordination of collaboration. It was decided that young scientists, postgraduate students, and students from RSA should take part in all scientific programmes.

In February 2007, the first joint symposium of UNISA (the University of South Africa) and JINR “Models and Methods for research of few-particle and multi-particle bodies” took place in Pretoria. It was mainly devoted to the problems of nuclear physics studied within the framework of collaboration between JINR and the DST of SA, but it also touched the issues of particle physics, atomic, molecular physics, computing and mathematical physics. The second symposium “Models and Methods for research of few-particle and multi-particle bodies” (September 2010) gathered specialists of several universities of RSA, namely UNISA, University of Stellenbosch, University of Pretoria and some others, as well as scientists of the Bogoliubov and Flerov laboratories of JINR. The subject of the symposium was devoted to the new tendencies in the development of theoretical and experimental nuclear physics.

Since 2007, practical training for students and postgraduate students of the Republic of South Africa has been held in Dubna. About 30 students accompanied by their professors come every year to Dubna. The lectures on scientific studies held in JINR are read by the leading scientists of JINR. For example, in 2009 the lectures were held by A.V. Belushkin, E.A. Krasavin, V.N. Shvetsov, A.G. Popeko, G.V. Mitsin, etc.

Contact Information

  • D. V. Kamanin Executive of the contacts with the Republic of South Africa, Director of UC JINR

  • +7 (49621) 6-58-39 +7 (49621) 6-26-36 Fax: +7 (49621) 6-58-91  

  • kamanin@jinr.ru
Scientific Themes and Projects
Scientists from the RSA participate in the following themes of the Topical Plan for JINR Research and International Cooperation in 2023:
  • Theoretical Physics “Theory of Nuclear Systems” Leaders: N.V. Antonenko, S.N. Ershov, A.A. Dzhioev, on the RSA side – WITS, UP, iThemba LABS, SU; “Theory of Complex Systems and Advanced Materials” Leaders: V.A. Osipov, A.M. Povolotskii, on the RSA side – UNISA; “Dubna International Advanced School of Theoretical Physics (DIAS-TH)” Leaders: V.V. Voronov, D.I. Kazakov, on the RSA side – UCT.
  • Elementary Particle Physics and Relativistic Nuclear Physics “NICA Complex: Design and Construction of the Complex of Accelerators, Collider and Physics Experimental Facilities at Extracted and Colliding Ion Beams Aimed at Studying Dense Baryonic Matter and the Spin Structure of Nucleons and Light Ions, and at Carrying out Applied and Innovation Projects” Leaders: A.S. Sorin, V.D. Kekelidze, G.V. Trubnikov, on the RSA side – UJ, WITS, iThemba LABS, SU; “ALICE: Study of Interactions of Heavy Ion and Proton Beams at the LHC” Leader: A.S. Vodopyanov, on the RSA side – UCT, WITS, iThemba LABS.
  • Nuclear Physics “Development of the FLNR Accelerator Complex and Experimental Setups (DRIBs-III)” Leaders: I.V. Kalagin, S.N. Dmitriev, S.I. Sidorchuk, on the RSA side – iThemba LABS, SU; “Synthesis and Properties of Superheavy Elements, the Structure of Nuclei at the Limits of Nucleon Stability” Leaders: M.G. Itkis, S.I. Sidorchuk, on the RSA side – iThemba LABS, SU; “Investigations of Neutron Nuclear Interactions and Properties of the Neutron” Leader: E.V. Lychagin, on the RSA side – UWC, UNISA, SU.
  • Condensed Matter Physics, Radiation and Radiobiological Research “Investigations of functional materials and nanosystems using neutron scattering” Leaders: D.P. Kozlenko, V.L. Aksenov, A.M. Balagurov, on the RSA side – Necsa, UP; “Development of the Conceptual Design of a New Advanced Neutron Source – fast pulse NEPTUN reactor at JINR” Leaders: V.N. Shvetsov, M.V. Bulavin, on the RSA side – UP; “Radiation Physics, Radiochemistry, and Nanotechnology Investigations Using Beams of Accelerated Heavy Ions” Leaders: S.N. Dmitriev, P.Yu. Apel, on the RSA side – UWC, NMU, UP, SU; “Biomedical and Radiation-Genetic Studies Using Different Types of Ionizing Radiation” Leaders: G.V. Mitsyn, S.L. Yakovenko, on the RSA side – iThemba LABS; “Development of Scientific DLNP Infrastructure for Research Using Semiconductor Detectors, Laser Metrology, Electrons, Positrons and Cryogenic Technology” Leaders: V.V. Glagolev, G.A. Shelkov, on the RSA side – iThemba LABS.
  • Networking, Computing, Computational Physics “Information and Computing Infrastructure of JINR” Leader: V.V. Korenkov, on the RSA side – UCT; “Methods, Algorithms and Software for Modeling Physical Systems, Mathematical Processing and Analysis of Experimental Data” Leaders: Gh. Adam, P.V. Zrelov, on the RSA side – UCT; “Analytical and Methodological Work to Assess the Prospects of Scientific Research and Cooperation in the Main Directions of JINR’s Development. Organization of International Cooperation” Leaders: V.A. Matveev, S.N. Nedelko.
  • Educational Programme “Organization, Support and Development of the JINR Educational Programme” Leaders:G.V. Trubnikov, V.A. Matveev,A.Yu. Verkheev, on the RSA side – SU.
Cooperating organizations
At present, JINR actively cooperates with eight scientific centers and universities of the Republic of South Africa on ten scientific themes in all the spheres of scientific research of JINR:

Johannesburg:

Cape Town:

Pretoria:

Stellenbosch:

Representative of the Government of the RSA to the Committee of Plenipotentiaries of JINR
The Representative of the Government of the RSA to the Committee of Plenipotentiaries of JINR is Mr. Imraan Patel, Deputy Director-General of the Research Development and Support Programme of the Department of Science and Innovation.
Representative of the Government of the RSA to the Scientific Council of JINR

At present, Zeblon Vilakazi, Rector of the University of the Witwatersrand, is a representative of the government of the RSA in the Scientific Council of JINR.

Representatives of the Government of the RSA to JINR Programme Advisory Committees
Dr. Makondelele Victor Tshivhase, Director of iThemba L.A.B.S., is a Member of JINR Programme Advisory Committee for Nuclear Physics.
National Holidays
  • New Year’s Day – 1 January
  • Human Rights Day – 21 March
  • Good Friday – 13 April (Friday before Easter Sunday)
  • Family Day – 16 April (Monday after Easter Sunday)
  • Freedom Day – 27 April
  • Workers Day – 1 May
  • Youth Day – 16 June
  • National Women`s Day – 9 August
  • Heritage Day – 24 September
  • Day of Reconciliation – 16 December
  • Christmas Day – 25 December
  • Day of Goodwill – 26 December
Events
 

Contact Information on the Embassies

Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in the Russian Federation: Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of South Africa :