On September 29, 2026, the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan (INP AS RUz) hosted the 3rd meeting of the Advisory Board of the International Research Centre based on the Multipurpose Fast Neutron Research Reactor MBIR (IRC MBIR). The event drew significant interest from the global expert community, bringing together over 150 participants from 72 organizations across 18 countries on a single platform.
Opening the business program, Stepan Kalmykov, Chairman of the IRC MBIR Advisory Boards and Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, emphasized the role of the MBIR research facility as a key element of the megascience landscape and international collaboration in nuclear research. He also highlighted the importance of the IRC MBIR scientific program for closed nuclear fuel cycle (NFC), minimizing radioactive waste (RAW), and expanding the resource base of nuclear energy. "Nuclear science and nuclear energy have always driven development across numerous other fields, and today’s broad geography of participants – ranging from Korea and India to the CIS, Brazil, and African countries – is direct proof of this. The event has brought together leaders and experts from major scientific centers, industrial corporations, academic frameworks, sector regulators, and financial institutions, as well as representatives of international organizations and leading universities," noted Stepan Kalmykov.
The meeting was attended by Evgeny Abakumov, Deputy Director General for Science and Strategy, who noted the deep involvement of Rosatom State Corporation's management in the project's implementation and its integration into the global scientific agenda: "Holding the Advisory Board meeting in Tashkent is direct proof that the MBIR project is of genuine interest to the international scientific community. The IRC MBIR Consortium has outgrown the scope of a local project and become a global center of attraction for advanced nuclear thought. Leading research centers and corporations look toward the capabilities of our reactor facilities. This shows that we are creating a high-demand, foundational tool. It is precisely within the framework of multilateral expert dialogue that scientific and technological standards and strategic vectors for the development of global nuclear energy are formed for decades to come."
A welcoming address to the participants from Mikhail Kovalchuk, President of the National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute," was delivered by Alexander Blagov, the center's Vice-President. In his message, Mikhail Kovalchuk emphasized the role of megascience infrastructure in ensuring technological sovereignty and national security. He noted that the MBIR reactor under construction and the operational PIK reactor are two complementary facilities that cover the entire spectrum of neutron fluxes and are set to become a space for breakthrough technologies and international cooperation. The formation of a unified scientific program for megascience-class facilities is acquiring key significance. Mikhail Kovalchuk particularly highlighted the importance of integrating partners from the CIS into this process. On the initiative of the President of the Kurchatov Institute, a long-term strategy for the scientific and technological development of Russia and Uzbekistan was jointly developed, and MBIR itself is designed to become a key element of the global research strategy in the nuclear sector for decades to come.
Vasily Konstantinov, Director General of IRC MBIR LLC, outlined the key areas for expanding the platform and highlighted the project's technological prospects: "Currently, the membership of the International Research Centre continues to grow by attracting new Russian and foreign partners. Within the IRC's long-term research program, a promising direction is also the development of a low-power nuclear power plant design based on MBIR solutions. Given that a significant portion of the generated heat will be directed toward electricity generation, with a design capacity of around 50 MW, MBIR can serve as a prototype for a future energy platform and a demonstrator of technological solutions. In addition, the development and application of artificial intelligence tools at all stages of creating new solutions – from setting tasks to the practical implementation of results – is of significant value."
The meeting's agenda focused on applied engineering challenges and the
synergy of research programs. Participants discussed the development of
research infrastructure, research methodologies, strategies for national
program development, and workforce training, as well as tasks for advancing
nuclear energy technologies.
Following the 3rd meeting of the Advisory Board, participants updated the requirements of developers of innovative power reactor systems and confirmed the IRC MBIR status as a key international network of experts committed to long-term scientific cooperation.
MBIR is a multipurpose fast-neutron research reactor with
sodium coolant and the thermal capacity of approximately 150 MW. The reactor is
under construction in Dimitrovgrad at the site of the State Scientific Center -
Research Institute for Atomic Reactors (RIAR JSC, a part of the R&D
division of Rosatom State Corporation) within the framework of the national
technological leadership project "New Nuclear and Energy
Technologies". Currently, work is underway on installing the equipment of
the reactor's primary circuit: in 2025, the cold filter-traps of the emergency
heat removal system loop were installed in their design positions. As part of
the primary circuit installation, adapters of hot pipelines have been welded to
the reactor vessel and the first pipeline blocks; the installation of the main
process equipment in the sodium storage building has been completed; a fuel
handling mechanism and steam-water washing sockets for spent fuel assemblies
(FA) have also been delivered. In 2026, two emergency heat exchangers weighing
7.3 tons, 5 meters high, and 1.5 meters in diameter have been installed in
their design positions.
MBIR is intended for performance of reactor tests, production of radioisotopes, production of modified materials, as well as testing of new type equipment and systems. The unique capabilities of the new reactor are expected to accelerate development of solutions for the two-component nuclear power and the closed nuclear fuel cycle, as well as design of safe Generation IV nuclear power systems.
The International Research Center (IRC) in the form of an international consortium is established on the basis of MBIR reactor. The Consortium participants gain ‘fast track’ access to carry out the experiments needed for national programs of nuclear energy peaceful applications. The Consortium format allows for flexible use of the reactor resource for the demands of the scientific community. IRC MBIR Consortium is open to new members. The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, the Nuclear Physics Institute at the Academy of Science of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Shanghai ZDAN International, a Chinese company, have already joint the Consortium as the main participants.
