Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The III meeting of the Advisory Council of the International Research Centre based on the MBIR multipurpose fast research reactor was held in Tashkent. More than 150 representatives of 72 organisations from 18 countries took part in the event, held at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan.
The meeting focused on developing research infrastructure, coordinating scientific programmes and addressing engineering challenges related to the prospects of nuclear energy technologies. Participants also discussed specialist training and the development of national research programmes.
Stepan Kalmikov, Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Chairman of the Advisory Council, highlighted the international nature of the project and its importance for “megascience” research.
According to him, the International Research Centre’s scientific programme is focused, among other things, on closing the nuclear fuel cycle, reducing the volume of radioactive waste and expanding the resource base of nuclear energy.
The broad composition of participants, Kalmikov said, reflects the interest in nuclear research from scientific centres, industrial companies, academic institutions, regulators, financial institutions, international organisations and universities. Representatives from countries ranging from South Korea and India to CIS states, Brazil and African countries took part in the meeting.
Evgeny Abakumov, Deputy Director General for Science and Strategy at Rosatom, said the corporation’s leadership is involved in implementing the MBIR project and integrating it into the international scientific agenda.
He noted that holding the Council meeting in Tashkent demonstrates the international scientific community’s interest in the project. According to him, the MCI MBIR consortium goes beyond a local initiative and is being developed as an international platform for advancing nuclear research.
Shavkat Ayupov, President of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, also noted growing interest among specialised organisations in research based at the MCI MBIR. In his assessment, research at the reactor could provide additional momentum to the development of global nuclear energy.
Participants at the meeting also received an address from Mikhail Kovalchuk, President of the National Research Centre Kurchatov Institute. It was read by the centre’s Vice President Alexander Blagov.
The address emphasised the importance of “megascience” infrastructure for technological development and national security. Kovalchuk separately highlighted the prospects of joint use of the MBIR under construction and the operating PIK reactor, which, according to his assessment, could provide a wide range of neutron fluxes for research.
Particular attention was also paid to developing a unified scientific programme for “megascience” facilities, including the participation of partners from CIS countries.
Ilham Sadykov, Director of the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and an academician, highlighted the potential for combining MBIR’s capabilities with the institute’s existing research infrastructure.
This includes the upgraded WWR-SM research reactor and an accelerator complex. According to Sadykov, combining them with MBIR’s capabilities would create conditions for materials-science experiments, verification of computational codes and radioisotope production.
He also noted that cooperation between research centres could contribute to nuclear safety and the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Vasily Konstantinov, General Director of Leader of the MCI MBIR Consortium LLC, spoke about expanding the international membership of the MCI MBIR. According to him, Russian and foreign partners continue to join the platform.
Among the prospective areas, he identified studying the possibility of creating a low-power energy facility using solutions incorporated into MBIR. The facility’s projected capacity could be around 50 MW, with a significant portion of the generated heat expected to be used for electricity generation.
Konstantinov also highlighted the potential use of artificial intelligence technologies at various stages of developing new solutions, from formulating research objectives to the practical implementation of results.
The meeting in Tashkent provided a platform for discussing the further development of international research cooperation around the MCI MBIR, as well as opportunities to combine existing and planned scientific facilities to implement joint programmes.
