On 20 July 2026, the summer session of the START (STudent Advanced Research Training at JINR) programme began at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. The participants are 37 students from Belarus, China, Cuba, Egypt, India, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Africa, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
There are two key arrival dates for participants this year. This arrangement made it possible to organize more group lectures and excursions, as well as to establish optimal comfortable conditions for students to get acquainted with the Institute. The first group of 19 people has already arrived in Dubna and started working. The remaining 18 students will join the programme in October.
The session opening took place at the JINR University Centre. JINR University Centre Director Dmitry Kamanin delivered an introductory lecture on the structure of the Joint Institute, its research areas, and prospects for young scientists. He told the participants about Dubna as a city where science became an integral part of everyday life and suggested considering JINR as a platform for a successful start and development of their research career.
Deputy Director of the JINR University Centre Wael Badawy discussed the registration process and the new application rules for the START programme with the students. In the updated application process, candidates must list the topic number from the current year’s JINR Topical Plan in addition to their scientific interests. The innovation ensures a more streamlined and precise distribution of students across the laboratories and research teams. Most participants noted that the new selection procedure was clear and presented no major obstacles.
Immediately after the official part, the students went on an introductory excursion of the Meshcheryakov Laboratory of Information Technologies, where they learned about the capabilities of the JINR Multifunctional Information and Computing Complex and the areas of study of MLIT at JINR.
The young specialists are now in for engaging and challenging work. Over the course of 6–8 weeks, the participants will develop their own projects in various laboratories of the Institute. For many, this will be the first experience of working in an international scientific environment at world-class research facilities.
The START programme is a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in real scientific tasks, work under the guidance of leading JINR scientists, and acquire practical skills that are impossible to gain as part of a standard university course.
