Russian side has approved the Chinese Academy of Sciences' participation in the PIK Reactor International Research Center.
TASS news from August 11.
The first of three applications submitted by Chinese institutions aiming to become participants in the international center based on the PIK reactor—dedicated to synchrotron radiation, neutron, and laser research—has been reviewed and accepted.
Mikhail Kovalevich, President of the National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute," stated: “Today we have received three consecutive applications from different Chinese institutions seeking membership in this association. One has already been accepted: the Chinese Academy of Sciences.”
The high-flux research reactor PIK at the Institute of Nuclear Physics is designed for studying neutrons, neutron radiation, microscopic objects, and advancing numerous other fundamental and applied scientific fields.
The reactor also hosts an international research center focused on synchrotron radiation, neutrons, and lasers.
Belarus, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Iran have already become participating countries in this center.
The applications from two other Chinese institutions are currently under review.
The PIK reactor, located in Leningrad Oblast, is a major scientific facility used primarily for fundamental and applied research in neutron scattering, microstructure of matter, materials science, condensed matter physics, lasers, and synchrotron radiation. It does not generate electricity and is one of the few high-flux research reactors worldwide.
This international center serves as a collaborative platform for large-scale scientific facilities shared among multiple countries, allowing institutions from various nations to jointly conduct experiments and research through shared access to equipment.
With the Chinese Academy of Sciences now officially becoming a member, our research teams can utilize experimental conditions such as neutron beam lines at the PIK reactor to carry out experiments in areas including materials science, life sciences, and nuclear physics—thereby filling gaps in domestic experimental capabilities related to large-scale neutron facilities. This will further deepen Sino-Russian scientific collaboration in neutron physics, new materials, and quantum technologies.
For Russia, this expands cooperation with friendly nations on large-scale scientific platforms, mitigates restrictions imposed by Western research channels, and broadens the international user base for this facility.
This is an institutional-level research access arrangement, not a state-to-state treaty; experimental time slots and project proposals still require evaluation by the center and are not granted unconditionally.
Intellectual property rights and data usage adhere to unified rules established by the international center.
After the remaining two applications from Chinese institutions are completed and reviewed, more domestic research institutions will gain access to this platform.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873270345211904/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.