ROME, December 15 /TASS/. Russia will build up cooperation with European partners in scientific research which has great mutually beneficial potential, Sergei Salikhov, director of department of science and technology at the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, told TASS on Monday.
Salikhov attended the 5th session of a group of senior officials from the G-8 countries as well as China, Brazil, India, Mexico and South Africa who discussed global research infrastructure. “Russian and European scientists continue cooperation. Russia remains an active participant in the international scientific process. We have become a fourth shareholder at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF),” Salikhov said adding that Russia was taking part in several other international projects such as CERN in Switzerland, XFEL in Hamburg; Experimental Thermo-Nuclear Reactor /ITER/ in southern France, etc.
“We are launching the Igniter experiment with Italy,” Salikhov said.
“Global international cooperation is a guarantee of implementation of many projects. The research infrastructure is meant for making breakthrough scientific achievements. Besides, it is a universally recognized mechanism of scientific research, which contributes to accelerated acquisition of advanced scientific knowledge,” Salikhov stressed.
“Russia has great experience in creating infrastructure facilities. Last century, it produced the world’s first tokamak; proton accelerators and other scientific devices. Eighteen research institutes are full-fledged members of the United Institute of Nuclear Research located in Dubna, a scientific town in the north of the Moscow region,” Salikhov said.