A meeting took place on 11 September in Nizhny Novgorod between representatives of ISTC and senior directors of the Russian Federation nuclear institutes VNIEEF and OKBM.

Cooperation in atomic energy was discussed and as a result a protocol was signed. Areas of future cooperation will focus on:

During the meeting, a review of ISTC’s extensive contribution to the development of the Russian nuclear sector was presented.Commenting on outcomes of the meeting, ISTC Executive Director, Adriaan van der Meer, said: “The review confirms ISTC’s contribution to the development of a safe, modern, Russian nuclear industry in all its aspects. Equally important is that new medicinal diagnostics based on nuclear technology were developed as a result of ISTC projects. ISTC intends to continue supporting these activities.”

The review noted ISTC’s important contribution to the nuclear sector priority areas of the Russian Federation:

Further, the review confirmed ISTC’s significant contribution to the development of nuclear diagnostics in the medical field and nuclear applications to improve public health.

1. Russian Federal Nuclear Center - The All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics (RFNC - VNIIEF)VNIIEF is located is Sarov, formerly Arzamas-16, a city in the Nizhni Novgorod region of Russia, 300 miles east of Moscow. The Institute was established more than 50 years ago for the purposes of advancing the Soviet atomic weapons project, and remains a closed city today requiring Russian Federation agreement on entry into the city. Current Sarov population is about 82,000.

Currently, VNIIEF is the largest research center in Russia and employs about 24,000 scientists, engineers, technicians and workers. VNIIEF is an aggregate of large programmatic institutions, integrated by a general scientific and administrative management.http://en.vniief.ru/

2. OKBMJSC “OKBM Afrikantov” is a multidiscipline scientific-production enterprise of nuclear power engineering performing all types of activities in the development of reactor plants and production equipment of various purpose, from technical concept to its implementation, in-field supervision of the developed items during their service life including decommissioning.

Joint Stock Company «OKBM Afrikantov» was founded by Resolution of the USSR Government dated December 27, 1945 on the basis of Gorky Machine Building Plant Design Bureau as Special Design Bureau intended to create equipment for nuclear industry. Afterwards the OKB research area and workscope relative to creation of various nuclear reactors expanded and it was separated from the Gorky Machine Building Plant. Since January 1, 1964 it was subordinated to the USSR State Committee for Atomic Energy application. Presently OKBM is a part of State Atomic Energy Corporation "Rosatom". In 1998 OKBM was named after I.I. Afrikantov - OKBM Chief Designer (since 1959) and Director (1954 - 1969).

OKBM is one of the lead design organizations in the industry, large scientific and production center of nuclear power engineering with multi-discipline design team, proper research, experimental and production facilities. OKBM scientific and production potential allows performing the entire complex of activities related to construction of various reactor plants and the whole range of equipment for them, including design documentation development, required analyses and R&D, fabrication and testing of pilot samples, mastering of production process, equipment fabrication and installation, startup and adjustment activities, commissioning, maintenance, equipment in-service maintenance at the operating sites and decommissioning.http://www.okbm.nnov.ru

ISTC has in the last 15 years been a Partner to Russia in the development of novel civilian nuclear technologies: