Meeting between JINR and the Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory (YerPhI) in Yerevan: fostering scientific cooperation Last week, the second meeting between JINR and the Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory (AANL, YerPhI) took place in Armenia. This meeting was a continuation of the one held a month earlier in Dubna. The first meeting focused on extensive discussions regarding the initiative proposed within the framework of the agreement signed on March 20, 2024, between JINR and AANL, to establish a joint laboratory with JINR based at AANL (YerPhI), aimed at creating a technological and scientific platform within the Republic of Armenia. This platform would have access to cutting-edge technologies and products used in the setup units for fundamental, applied research, and analytical equipment. The second meeting aimed not only to further discuss expanding cooperation between JINR and scientific centers in Armenia in the fields of fundamental science, information technology, innovation, and education, but also to define specific thematic directions for the activities of the proposed laboratory. Plenary sessions covered a wide range of topics, from information technology to nuclear physics and materials science. The main goal of these presentations was to exchange knowledge, experiences, and ideas that contribute to the further development of scientific research. During the plenary sessions, the heads of scientific organizations in Armenia presented the scientific programs of their institutes, with special attention given to ongoing and planned joint work with JINR. Reports were heard from the director of AANL, Gevorg Karyan, the director of the Institute of Informatics and Automation Problems of the NAS RA, Hrachya Astsatryan, the vice-rector of Yerevan State University, Rafayel Barkhudaryan, the director of CANDLE, Bagrat Grigoryan, the director of the Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics of the NAS RA, Tigran Zakaryan, and the director of the Institute of Applied Problems of Physics of the NAS RA, Vahan Kocharyan. Sergei Shmatov, director of the M.G. Meshcheryakov Laboratory of Information Technologies at JINR, presented research conducted at JINR. Following the plenary sessions, parallel discussion sessions were held on various research topics. Information technology, particle physics, nuclear and accelerator physics, as well as applied physics and materials science, were the main themes discussed during these sessions. Potential areas of cooperation were identified during the discussion sessions. As a result of the meeting, it was decided to support further development of the initiative to establish a joint JINR-AANL laboratory and to recommend that working groups submit relevant proposals, supplementing them with information on the expected staff composition of the JINR-AANL laboratory, necessary financial resources, equipment, and provision of suitable premises for conducting research aimed at conducting research and development work on the development and testing of aerogel detectors and detector systems based on straw tubes for conducting fundamental research in the field of particle physics, studying the effects of accelerated ions on materials, including those used in the space industry, studying radiation-induced mechanisms of defect formation, work in the field of radiation biophysics, joint development of subsystems of irradiation stands and assembly of auxiliary equipment for conducting work on ion beams. An important outcome of the working meeting was the signing of an agreement for AANL (YerPhI) to join the ARIADNA collaboration for applied research at the NICA complex. The joint activities in this direction will include studying the effects of accelerated ions on samples of various materials, including those used in the space industry, studying radiation-induced mechanisms of defect formation, work in the field of radiation biophysics, joint development of subsystems of irradiation stands, as well as assembly of auxiliary equipment for conducting applied research at the NICA complex. AANL (YerPhI) became the fourth organization in the Republic of Armenia to participate in the ARIADNA collaboration, alongside Yerevan State University, CANDLE, and the Institute of Molecular Biology of the NAS RA. As a result of many years of cooperation between AANL (YerPhI) and JINR FLNP, an additional agreement was also signed in the field of scientific and methodological research and development for studying condensed matter on the IBR-2 neutron beams and researching functional materials and nanosystems using neutron scattering. The meeting also highlighted the need to implement and intensify joint educational programs, including bilateral short-term and long-term visits by students and postgraduates to carry out scientific projects as part of their thesis work, conducting joint internships and training sessions, exploring the organization of a regular school on theoretical and experimental physics, and improving the information support of existing educational programs.
