On 15 – 16 April 2019, a regular meeting of the “Russia – CERN” Committee was held in the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN, Geneva, Switzerland). Heads of the delegations signed an agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and CERN in the fields of high energy physics and other fields of the mutual interest.

The Russian delegation was headed by First Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Academician Grigory Trubnikov. JINR Director Academician Victor Matveev also took part in the meeting. The hosting party was represented by the CERN Governance headed by CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti.

Opening the meeting, Grigory Trubnikov noted the achieved breakthrough in extending the Russia-CERN relations. “The new agreement is a special document which is “custom-made”. It lays the modern ground for cooperation between Russia and CERN as well as provides its acceleration. I firmly believe that it is a historic document for Russian and world science,” head of the Russian delegation said.

CERN Director-General highlighted the high priority of the further development of the strategic partnership of CERN and the Russian Federation. Fabiola Gianotti noted the unique contribution made by Russian scientists in development of modern science during several decades.

The new agreement will be a modern basis for extending formats of cooperation between Russia and CERN. Both parties agreed that the document would start large-scale work on its practical implementation, and this would demand mutual efforts and would be converted into new fundamental discoveries.

In the frames of negotiations, members of the Committee and participants of the meeting discussed topical issues of creation of the High-Luminosity LHC accelerator and further steps in providing participation of Russian organizations in the projects of the LHC modernization and physics experiments on research apart from colliders. The Russian delegation paid special attention to the national project “Nauka” (lit. “Science”) as well having presented possible formats of mutually beneficial cooperation with CERN in its frames. “The national project “Nauka” opens new prospects for our cooperation with CERN. I would like to appeal to you to use these new opportunities to increase our cooperation,” Grigory Trubnikov said to CERN representatives.

Representatives of Russian science (NRC “Kurchatov Institute”, JINR, the Russian Academy of Sciences, MSU and others) jointly with CERN experts informed the Committee about the progress of cooperation in a wide range of fields and projects. Moreover, members of the Russian delegation reported on the flagship mega-science projects implemented in the frames of the national project “Nauka” in the territory of the Russian Federation: the high-flux neutron source PIC (NRC “Kurchatov Institute”), the NICA complex (JINR, Dubna), synchrotron sources (NRC “Kurchatov Institute”, INP SB RAS) and others. CERN representatives expressed their interest in participation in initiatives of the national project as well as shared their plans having prepared the report on the design projects of the Future Circular Collider (FCC) and the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC).

During the meeting, co-chairmen of the Committee signed the protocol of the previous 39th meeting that was held on 23 November 2018 in Moscow. The next regular meeting of the “Russia-CERN” Committee will be held in autumn 2019 in Russia.

Following the materials of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the RF