The first meeting of the international expert commission in Budva

The first meeting of scientific experts working on the development of technical specifications for both options of the International Institute for Sustainable Technologies in South East Europe took place in Budva on 30 and 31 October at the Avala Hotel. Conference participants had the opportunity to exchange views on draft studies for both project options – the Synchrotron radiation source and Hadron cancer therapy with biomedical research.

The participants were welcomed by the Minister of Science, Dr. Sanja Damjanović, who used her introductory address to express her great gratitude to the guests who agreed to work on concrete design solutions, exclusively on a voluntary basis, providing an unselfish contribution to the further implementation of this regional project.

Also, Damjanović presented the activities carried out so far, as well as the steps to follow in relation to the organization of the Scientific Forum in Trieste in cooperation with the ICTP Institute, UNESCO and the International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA.

The Editorial Committee, composed of international scientific experts, has been working intensively on the specification for three months, while the final version will be finalized by the end of January.

The two-day expert meeting involved the following participants: the former Director General of CERN and the initiator of the idea to establish the International Institute, Professor Herwig Schopper, Oxford University scientist and DIAMOND project associate, Riccardo Bartolini, Director of CNAP Pavia Institute (Italy) Sandro Rossi, Technical Director of SESAME project Dieter Einfeld, former Director of the GSI Institute in Germany, Hans Specht, Mark Plesnik (Kozilab, Slovenia), Jacques Balosso (Institute of Grenoble), and CERN scientist Manjit Dosanjhj, while Amor Nadji (SOLEIL Institute – France) and Ugo Amaldi, former Director of the CNAO Pavia Institute, took part in the meeting via video link.

The final draft versions will be presented at the Scientific Forum in Trieste, in January 2018, organized by the International ICTP Institute and the Ministry of Science of Montenegro. Also, the Forum will be attended by representatives of the European Commission, UNESCO, CERN and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The report on the results of the Scientific Forum will be presented at the next Joint Conference within the framework of the Berlin Process, which will be held in early 2018 in Italy.

The next step of the Declaration signatories will be the appointment of their representatives in the Steering Committee of the regional project. The Minister of Science of Montenegro Dr. Sanja Damjanović was appointed as the Chairperson of the Steering Committee.

Thanks to the rich experience and contacts of Professor Schopper, experts and renowned scientists from prestigious scientific research institutions in Europe have been appointed as the members of the international commission in charge of developing technical specifications for projects for both options of the Institute.

The Declaration of Intent for the Establishment of the International Scientific Institute in South East Europe was officially signed last week, on 25 October, in CERN (Geneva), by: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.