From the resolution of the 132nd session of JINR Scientific Council

The Scientific Council takes note of the comprehensive report by JINR Director Grigory Trubnikov that covered the decisions of the last sessions of the Committee of Plenipotentiaries of the Governments of the JINR Member States (17, 21 March and 22 May, 2022), the status of implementation of the current Seven-Year Plan for the JINR Development in 2017-2023, as well as recent developments in the international cooperation of the Institute.

The Scientific Council notes the significance and immediacy of the Statement of the JINR Committee of Plenipotentiaries on maintaining the unity of the Institute, its scientific mission and international partnership in a peaceful environment, adopted at the extraordinary CP JINR session on 17 and on 21 March, 2022.

The Scientific Council takes note of the information about the session of the JINR Committee of Plenipotentiaries held on 22 May, 2022.

The Scientific Council notes with satisfaction the status of implementation of the current plan for research and development of the JINR scientific infrastructure:

- successful completion of the third cycle of commissioning of the NICA accelerator complex in the first quarter of 2022, during which critical tasks of ensuring the simultaneous operation of the three main accelerators of the NICA complex, the acceleration and extraction of a beam with an energy of up to 3 GeV/nucleon were met;

- production process of magnets and their installation in the NICA collider tunnel;

- successful physical session, during which more than 185 million interactions of carbon with a hydrogen target were accumulated using the SRC collaboration;

- significant progress in the construction of the Baikal neutrino telescope for observing natural neutrino fluxes: installation and commissioning of two new clusters of optical modules from February to April, 2022 that increased in the efficient volume of the deep-water detector to 0.5 km³;

- further experiments at the Superheavy Element Factory using the GFS-2 separator, in particular, on the synthesis of a new isotope of darmstadtium ²⁷⁶Ds in the reaction ⁴⁸Ca + ²³²Th. The aim of this experiment is to find the minimum stability expected in this area of the nuclear map and to test the corresponding theory of nuclear masses;

- further preparatory work for the first experiment on the research of the chemical properties of elements ¹¹⁴Fl and ¹¹²Cn at the GFS-3 separator (GRAND), scheduled for the end of 2022. The first test experiments were carried out in June, 2022 with mercury and nobelium isotopes produced in fusion reactions. The goal was to test and optimize the facility;

- run status of the IBR-2 reactor: damaged heat exchangers were replaced with new ones, a complete package of documentation for licensing is currently prepared. The reactor startup is scheduled for autumn, 2023 with further operation for carrying out physical experiments (first, for FLNP users and receiving proposals under the FLNP User Programme from 1 September to 15 October, 2023);

- further dynamic development of fundamental and applied research areas related to life sciences and condensed matter physics, based on the development of an interlaboratory research programme on the basis of the Laboratory of Radiation Biology and the International Innovation Centre for Nuclear Technologies that has been established at the Institute.

The Scientific Council notes the results of the work of the JINR groups within the framework of CERN collaborations and supports the willingness of JINR to fulfil all further current obligations under cooperation agreements, protocols, supplements and other documents signed with scientific organizations worldwide, in particular, with CERN and collaborations, as long as CERN is currently in cooperation with JINR.

The Scientific Council takes note of the election of A.M.Cetto Kramis (Mexico), Tran Chi Thanh (Vietnam) and Zhao Hongwei (PRC) as new members of the Scientific Council by the Committee of JINR Plenipotentiaries.

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The Scientific Council takes note of the draft of the Seven-Year Plan for the JINR Development in 2024-2030 presented by JINR Director Grigory Trubnikov.

The draft completely follows the structure and logic of the JINR strategic development, outlined in the concept of the Seven-Year Plan, presented and discussed at the 131st session of the Scientific Council in February, 2022 and at the CP JINR session on 22 May, 2022. The Scientific Council emphasizes that the submitted project follows some kind of optimal minimum scheme in terms of the amount of human and financial resources requested. A further reduction in funding would mean a drastic reduction in the scientific programme and plans of research infrastructure development, as well as would be destructive to the scientific and intellectual capacity of the Institute.

The Scientific Council approves the draft of the Seven-Year Plan for the JINR Development in 2024-2030 and recommends the JINR Directorate to submit it for consideration at the next CP JINR session in November, 2022.

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During the discussion on the reports of JINR Director Grigory Trubnikov, the members of the Scientific Council made the following recommendations:

- to find a way to maintain cooperation between CERN and JINR, including, in particular, the organization of the traditional CERN-JINR School of Physics for young scientists, with the possible participation of IUPAP;

- to pay further attention to the coordination and harmonization of the JINR Seven-Year Plan with the long-term plan of NuPECC and other strategic documents worldwide;

- to carry out a thorough analysis of current risks that might hinder the implementation of the Seven-Year Plan and include a special chapter on risk evaluation and appropriate scenarios for adjustments to the plan;

- to expand further activities aimed at strengthening the intellectual, material and financial base of JINR and attracting new associate and full members from all over the world, including countries with a strong economy, such as China.

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The next sessions of the Scientific Council will be held:

- The 133rd session of the Scientific Council will be held on 16-17 February, 2023;

- The 134th session of the Scientific Council will be held in September, 2023, the exact date will be determined at the 133rd session.