The expiring year has contained a variety of events. International staff of the Institute confidently overcame "the equator" towards the implementation of the JINR Seven-Year Plan of development. Significant progress in the development of the most important JINR basic facilities was achieved: Nuclotron-NICA, DRIBs-III, as well as the complex of cryogenic decelerators and spectrometers of the IBR-2 reactor. New impressive results in the fields of rare decays and neutrino oscillations were obtained.

JINR teams played an important role in the work on upgrading of the LHC detectors at CERN and technical improvements of the Large Hadron Collider, in obtaining new physical results based on data sessions at the LHC. Important steps towards achieving closer integration of projects and the basic facilities of JINR with the European and global research infrastructure were made.

In the expiring year we celebrated anniversaries of outstanding scientists who made great contributions to science, who played an important role in establishment and development of our Institute – V.I. Vernadski, I.V. Kurchatov, G.N. Flerov, V.P. Dzhelepov, B.M. Pontecorvo.

Fundamental scientific results obtained by JINR scientists and specialists coupled with the development of the educational programme, the increase of the innovative component in our activities, the development of the international scientific cooperation enable us to successfully complete the year 2013 and enter the year 2014 with new expectations.

I wish health, every success, happiness and prosperity to you and your close ones, dear colleagues, and all our friends and partners in JINR Member States, and research laboratories around the world!

Viktor Matveev,
Director of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research