On 27 May 2026, a meeting of the Science and Technology Council of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research took place at the International Conference Centre. The JINR STC members discussed the progress of the NICA Accelerator Complex and the prospects for the University Centre development.
At the start of the meeting, Chief Scientific Secretary of the Institute Sergey Nedelko presented the results of the 2025 JINR employee survey, which included 750 respondents. This research helped the Institute’s Directorate record the current requests of employees. The received feedback will help further improve personnel policy, develop the internal information environment, and optimise social support.
Acting Director of the Laboratory of High Energy Physics Andrey Butenko delivered a talk on the results of the NICA Accelerator Complex’s work and plans for the development of the megascience project. The main achievement of VBLHEP is the successful NICA Complex Run 1, during which the specialists managed to ensure the stable circulation of xenon ion beams in both collider rings. The laboratory director highlighted the results of the BM@N (Baryonic Matter at Nuclotron) Fixed-Target Experiment, which collected record statistics, 2.75 billion events at three different energy values, during this period.
Currently, the complex is undergoing a large-scale scheduled equipment modernisation to prepare for a new run, set to start in October 2026.
JINR University Centre Director Dmitry Kamanin commented on the JINR UC development prospects. In 2026, the Centre’s leadership held a series of working meetings with representatives of JINR laboratories to update the UC’s current tasks. The discussions focused on reinforcing the common goal – developing the Institute’s human resources. The main request from the scientific community today is to resume the JINR postgraduate programmes. In addition, the laboratories highly appreciated the effectiveness of the UC JINR’s international student programmes – START and INTEREST.
With increasingly more students joining the JINR internships, the University Centre pays special attention to the development of useful digital resources. Active cooperation with universities is focusing on optimising academic courses at the JINR-based departments, holding virtual practical trainings, and organizing career guidance events.
Among the latest UC achievements, Dmitry Kamanin highlighted a new internship for students from African countries, the development of practical engineering trainings, and the intensification of work with school teachers.
In conclusion of his speech, he invited all STC members to participate in a seminar dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the birth of the first JINR University Centre Director, Svetlana Ivanova. The event will take place on 16 June.
The meeting of the Science and Technology Council finished with a ceremony of awarding JINR employees for outstanding achievements in science and many years of conscientious work.
