The specialized department will be curated by the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research.
The two sides reached an agreement during their recent meeting. Vice-Rector Dmitry Tayursky, who is a physicist himself, represented KFU at the meeting. He commented, “The unit's tentative name is the Department of Nuclear Material Science. It will be administered jointly by KFU and JINR. Initially the employees of the Frank Laboratory of Neutron Physics will take part”.
Director of the Institute of Physics Sergey Nikitin had this to say, «Cooperation with the Neutron Physics Lab will help us in condensed matter research. We already have many common areas of interest: strongly correlated electron systems, thin films, and multiferroics. I am sure the cooperation will be intensive».
JINR is an international non-governmental research organization based in Dubna, Moscow Oblast, Russia. Its main areas of expertise are nuclear physics, particle physics, and condensed matter.
The Institute has been one of the most prolific research institutions in the world since its inception. Among the numerous discoveries are eight chemical elements (102 and 112 - 118). In recognition of these achievements four elements have been named after the Institute in one form or another. Those are dubnium (after Dubna), flerovium (after Academician Georgy Flyorov), moscovium (after Moscow Oblast), and - most recently – oganesson (after Academician Yuri Oganessian).
The signing of the relevant papers is planned for March 26th, 2017, when JINR will celebrate its birthday.
The joint projects will not be limited to physics only. JINR also has some very interesting achievements in environmental monitoring – which it will gladly discuss with the Institute of Environmental Sciences of KFU. Moreover, KFU's young journalists will practice making content at JINR.
The joint master program will allow KFU's students to participate in JINR's experiments directly. Summer schools will also be held.
Kazan University and JINR have a very recent experience of collaboration – at the EXON 2016 symposium that took place in September 2016.