A visit of a delegation of the German Embassy

News, 05 February 2015

A delegation of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Russia headed by Director of the Economics and Science Department Mr. Wolfgang Dik visited the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research on 4 February 2015. The delegation also included Director of the Economics and Science Department Holgar Karl Kolley, Head of the German Academic Exchange Service Office (DAAD) in Moscow, Director of the German Center for Research and Innovation (GCRI) in Moscow Gregor Berghorn, Scientific researcher of the Science Devision of the German Embassy in Moscow Mikhail Rusakov, Head of the Department of science, education, environment and nuclear energy, Counsellor of the German Embassy Uwe Meyer. On the JINR side the meeting was attended by JINR Director V.A. Matveev, JINR Vice-Directors M.G. Itkis, R. Lednický and G.V. Trubnikov, JINR Chief Scientific Secretary N.A. Russakovich, Head of the JINR International Cooperation Department D.V. Kamanin.
The programme of the visit included several meetings and excursions to the JINR basic facilities. The guests visited cyclotrons of the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions and the MASHA facility; they were acquainted with one of the IBR-2 channels, where scientists from Germany are working, as well as with environmental research of the Laboratory of Neutron Physics. In the Laboratory for High Energy Physics, they visited the factory of superconducting magnets, the detector laboratories for the NICA accelerator complex. Development of JINR scientific relations, including relations with DAAD and GCRI, was discussed at separate meetings with JINR leaders. A special programme for Mr. G. Berghorn, who is the representative of these organizations in Moscow, was prepared; it included acquaintance with the University “Dubna”, the JINR University Center, which were presented by UC Director S.Z. Pakulyak.
“There is very good equipment in laboratories which we have visited – W. Dik shared his impressions of the visit. – Research that can be done here is not available in Germany because we do not have a research reactor; we quitted all nuclear programmes, abandoned atomic power stations… Of course, we are also interested in large-scale projects which have been discussed – NICA and others. There is a general scientific interest, it is necessary to organize this cooperation with involvement of young scientists. The experience of universities, DAAD, organizations of an academic level can be used. When the economy has problems, you can follow the path of scientific cooperation. This was recently stated by our Chancellor Angela Merkel, who graduated from the Physics Department of the University of Leipzig and for 6 months worked in Dubna”.
The visit was finished with a meeting at the JINR Directorate, where both sides voiced wishes to maintain and increase scientific contacts, to move towards each other in solving financial and operational issues, as well as attract young scientists.
Galina Myalkovskaya (JINR weekly newspaper “Dubna: science, community, progress”) Photo by Elena Puzynina