Putin, Mega-Bilim Tesisi SKİF Projesini Bilim Bakanı ile Görüştü

Meeting with Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov

The discussion focused on the development of research infrastructure, particularly mega-science facilities. Special attention was devoted to the implementation of the Siberian Ring Photon Source (SKIF) project in Koltsovo, a science town near Novosibirsk. President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Falkov, good afternoon. You want to begin with SKIF, right? Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov: Yes, Mr President. The level of scientific development in any country rests on three key pillars. First and foremost are the people engaged in scientific work; second are the ideas they bring to life; and third – which is an important factor at the current stage of scientific and technological development – is research infrastructure. Today, I would like to focus on the development of research infrastructure, including mega-science facilities. Vladimir Putin: We discussed this back in 2018, right? Valery Falkov: Yes, as you noted at the time, such infrastructure is becoming an increasingly important foundation for the implementation of large-scale research projects. It also serves as a magnet for talented young people and researchers from around the world. I would like to begin with SKIF. As you know, it is a unique scientific initiative that you supported during a meeting with my colleagues on Russian Science Day, February 8, 2018. Allow me to say a few words about it. SKIF is a truly unique project for a number of reasons. First, SKIF ranks among the best facilities of its kind globally. I will elaborate on this in a moment. Second, only a few countries are capable of building infrastructure of this scale and complexity. The challenge is not merely financial, although the investment required is substantial. More importantly, it demands a strong scientific foundation, established research schools, and close cooperation between scientific institutions and industrial enterprises. What I would like to emphasise in particular is that this is the first time in the post-Soviet period that Russia has designed and built a scientific facility of such scale and uniqueness. SKIF is the result of an enormous joint effort, above all by the scientific community and the teams responsible for its design and construction. Today, I would especially like to acknowledge the contributions of the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics (whose director you met in 2018), the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, and, of course, the Kurchatov Institute, which serves as the lead scientific organisation for the country’s extensive synchrotron and neutron research programme. The scientific programme for SKIF, developed jointly by these institutes, was reviewed and approved in cooperation with our colleagues from the Russian Academy of Sciences. Mr President, I have a few words to say about the main development phases. In 2018, you supported the idea. Next, as expected, your Executive Order was issued in 2019. In 2020, a special programme for synchrotron and neutron research was adopted with corresponding funding allocated. This made it possible for us, in early 2020, to start the design work, and in 2022 to launch the construction. Just a few words about the construction. What is SKIF (Siberian Circular Photon Source)? It consists of 34 buildings and structures with a total area of nearly 87,000 square metres, and 30 hectares have been fully developed. Here is what I would like to note specifically. Vladimir Putin: The planned activities were completed in three months back then. Valery Falkov: Yes. And the programme was quickly adopted, and the site was selected quickly as well. By the way, synchrotron operation is based on the phase stability principle first discovered by Soviet physicist Vladimir Veksler back in 1944, and only a year and a half later it was confirmed and independently discovered by American researcher [Edwin] MacMillan. So, in a sense, we have built what we once created and invented. The most important part of the facility is the experimental station. We were supposed to build six of them, but we have built seven with an option to build 30, which we will use to conduct the necessary experiments. What makes SKIF unique? It belongs to generation 4+ which is the latest generation. Its main characteristic is an extremely small radiation beam diameter of 72 units. To be precise, in physicists’ terms, picometres per radian. I have visited and studied similar facilities. They were built earlier and have less advanced specifications. I recently visited Sirius in Brazil, where they have a synchrotron built in 2020; its beam diameter is 250 picometres, which is significantly weaker. In this sense, we have created a technological advantage, which, of course, attracts many of our colleagues from other countries. Vladimir Putin: So, in this sense, ours is top-of-the-line, correct? Valery Falkov: Yes, if we consider the so-called 3 GeV class, ours is the latest and the most advanced one. This is certainly a major achievement. Vladimir Putin: France, Switzerland, Britain, and Italy are behind us, correct? Valery Falkov: Yes. I would like to say a few words about the construction timeframe. We tried to speed things up despite the overall difficulties. You can see the construction timelines. We even managed to be slightly ahead compared to our colleagues working on similar projects. Vladimir Putin: Roughly the same. Valery Falkov: Roughly the same, yes. What I would like to highlight is that the experimental stations I have mentioned were designed and built entirely in Russia. I would like to specifically mention the contributions of four major scientific teams: Tomsk Polytechnic University, the Institute of High-Current Electronics in Tomsk, the Lavrentyev Institute of Hydrodynamics in Novosibirsk’s Akademgorodok (academic town), and the Design and Technology Institute of Scientific Instrument Engineering. Together, they signed more than 1,500 contracts and successfully delivered these stations. We regularly discuss the development of advanced engineering schools. As I reported separately, we actively engage young people through student design bureaus. Four such bureaus participated directly in the design work for this project. From a construction standpoint, it should also be mentioned that since there are unique experiment parameters, it sets extremely complex requirements to structural elements of the building base. In order to prevent even the tiniest deviation, even just a millimetre, a special foundation system had to be created. It includes several soil stabilisation layers, the use of specially prepared soils and foundations. Without these engineering solutions it would be impossible to create the world’s best parameters for running experiments at this facility. A few words about the scientific equipment manufacturing. The majority of equipment was manufactured by the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics. This situation is familiar in many other sectors as well, Mr President. I would also like to note that, during the construction process, contractors from the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, and several other countries repudiated their contracts. As a result, we were forced to look for alternative solutions. Experience has shown that the best solution was to learn to develop things like that ourselves. We independently produced around 30 critical pieces of equipment. This has enabled us to acquire unique competencies, develop new technologies and expertise, and, of course, reach an entirely new level of scientific and industrial cooperation. Let me highlight that, in 2023, specialists at the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics developed a klystron – a critically important component of a synchrotron radiation source that converts a direct electron beam into an alternating one. Previously, there had been plans to procure this equipment from Japan. At the time, only three countries in the world were capable of producing high-power klystrons. Today, Russia has joined that group. Moreover, the work carried out as part of the project enabled us to master the production of a wide range of equipment, including power supplies for electromagnets, pumps for ultra-high-vacuum systems, specialised vacuum equipment, and much more. We also succeeded in manufacturing a specialised power cable at a plant in Podolsk, something that had neither been planned nor produced domestically before. In conclusion, I would like to emphasise that an enormous amount of work has been done and that the project is now in its final stage. A special compliance commission was established. I would like to thank our colleagues from the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, and the Kurchatov Institute for their contribution. The commission consisted of 13 highly respected experts, most of them academicians, who conducted a review of the equipment, verifying both its performance and compliance with the specified parameters. As for the synchrotron itself, we plan to begin the first experimental work this autumn. Vladimir Putin: When exactly in the autumn? Valery Falkov: We are confident that the first scientific experiment, related to the development of a new polyethylene material, will take place in September or in October, at the latest. While installations of this kind are, first and foremost, indispensable for fundamental research, their significance for industry is difficult to overstate. A great deal of work is already being carried out with businesses, including pharmaceutical and petrochemical companies. We need to further refine the programme that is already in place and ensure that it delivers the maximum possible benefit to Russian industry and the economy. Vladimir Putin: Its applications span a very broad range of fields, right? Microelectronics, structural biology, pharmaceuticals, materials science, diagnostics, aircraft manufacturing, medicine, chemical reactions, and thermonuclear fusion. Valery Falkov: Yes. As I mentioned, the first seven experimental stations are ready. During the second phase of the project, however, we plan to expand their number to 30. We are also considering the possibility of developing dedicated stations tailored to the specific needs of particular industries or even major companies. Vladimir Putin: Thank you.