On September 29, the third meeting of the Advisory Board of the International Research Center IRC MBIR was held at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan. More than 150 representatives from 72 organizations from 18 countries participated in the event. The main topic was the development of international cooperation in nuclear research based on the MBIR multi-purpose fast neutron reactor under construction in Russia.

Participants considered testing of nuclear fuel and structural materials for new generation reactors, production of medical radioisotopes, radioactive waste management, verification of computational codes, and training of scientific personnel. IAEA representative Petr Chakrov noted the importance of materials research for the development of nuclear energy. According to the agency, after commissioning, MBIR should become the research fast neutron reactor with the highest neutron flux in the world.

The facility is being built in Dimitrovgrad at the site of the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors, which is part of the scientific division of Rosatom. The Institute received the status of an International Center based on Research Reactors (ICERR) from the IAEA. Installation of primary circuit equipment continues at the facility: in 2026, two emergency heat exchangers, each weighing 7.3 tons, were installed in their design positions.

According to the Chairman of the IRC MBIR Advisory Board, Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Stepan Kalmykov, the center's scientific program is aimed, among other things, at closing the nuclear fuel cycle, reducing the volume of radioactive waste, and expanding the raw material base of nuclear energy. Deputy Director General of Rosatom Evgeny Abakumov emphasized that the consortium has become an international platform for conducting advanced research.