On 12 May 2025, the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Porto Alegre, Brazil. JINR and educational organizations of the Federative Republic of Brazil thus solidified their partnership in fundamental and applied research and made a significant step in developing scientific cooperation.

Photo © UFRGS Secretariat of Social Communication

During the visit, the parties discussed the prospects of implementing joint projects. The main areas of collaboration will be radiobiology, materials science, life sciences, and ecology, as well as academic exchange for students and researchers. In order to coordinate future studies, UFRGS Rector Marcia Barbosa made a proposal to organize a series of joint thematic webinars in the near future.

The parties noted the importance of the Memorandum of Understanding signed on 8 May 2025 between JINR and the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI). Special attention was paid to the JINR–Brazil Joint Coordinating Committee (JCC) and the Expert Working Group (EWG), which will be established in accordance with the document signed in Moscow. Director of the MCTI Climate and Sustainability Department Osvaldo de Moraes emphasised the special status of the new agreement and proposed nominating representatives of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul to the JCC and EWG.

Delegates of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research made presentations on JINR’s international activities. JINR University Centre (UC) Deputy Director Wael Badawy provided an overview of the UC and the Institute’s student programmes. Deputy Head of JINR’s Department of Science Organization Activities Norbert Kucerka discussed opportunities for cooperation between researchers from Brazil and Dubna.

On 13 May, the delegation from Dubna visited several scientific and educational departments of the University of Rio Grande do Sul. While getting acquainted with the laboratories of the UFRGS Institute of Physics, the parties discussed areas for joint research and noted the complementarity of the existing scientific infrastructure. Representatives of the UFRGS Institute of Geoscience expressed interest in collaborating with JINR in climate studies.