Uzbekistan Joins Talks on MBIR Reactor Research

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — An international meeting on future research programs for the MBIR research reactor was held in Dimitrovgrad, bringing together scientists and experts from several countries, including Uzbekistan.

The session of the Materials and Fuel Research Committee of the Advisory Council of the International Research Center based on the MBIR reactor took place at the State Scientific Center Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (RIAR), part of Rosatom’s scientific division.

More than 80 experts representing 35 scientific and research organizations from Russia, China, Vietnam, Brazil, Uzbekistan, Jordan and other countries attended the meeting. Participants discussed prospects for materials science studies and scientific programs planned for implementation using the MBIR research reactor currently under construction.

Presentations were delivered by representatives of Rosatom scientific organizations, the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, the Kurchatov Institute, and foreign research centers, including the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute and the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Vladimir Voronin, deputy director for science at the Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, presented updates on the development of the PIK research reactor and the scientific program of the International Center for Neutron Research.

During the discussions, foreign participants outlined specific research needs related to the MBIR reactor’s capabilities. The Vietnamese delegation presented research plans in materials science and reactor physics, while Chinese specialists discussed programs related to controlled thermonuclear fusion.

Participants noted that the reactor’s technical specifications and high neutron flux would enable a broad range of experiments at an advanced scientific level.

Ilham Sadikov, director of the Institute of Nuclear Physics under the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, said the country’s participation in the International Research Center consortium based on the MBIR reactor creates opportunities for advanced research and international scientific cooperation.

The next stage of work will be the third meeting of the Advisory Council of the MBIR International Research Center, scheduled for 30 September 2026, in Tashkent at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan.