Deputy of the Senate of the RK Parliament, the Chairman of the Committee on Social and Cultural Development and Science of the Senate - Nurtore Zhusip, during a working visit to Almaty, visited the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
During a conversation with the management and scientific staff of the Institute, the Senator informed about the laws adopted by Parliament last year for strengthening of social guarantees for citizens and workers in the field of science.
The parliamentarians got acquainted with the material-technical base of the Institute, in particular, equipment for the study of nuclear particles, in terms of its practical application. Today, the Institute is the only research organization in the country in the field of atomic energy use for peaceful purposes, implementing a full cycle of research and development, starting from fundamental research to production of high-tech products. Thus, the Institute produces radiopharmaceuticals based on the radioisotopes iodine-131, fluorine-18 and Mo-99 for diagnostics and treatment of cancer diseases, produces industrial radioactive sources and hydrogel dressings. The Institute has established the production and supply of radioactive isotope cobalt-57 to Russia, Germany, the USA, France and Turkey. Also in 2024, the Institute will begin supplying molybdenum-99/technetium-99 generators to Kyrgyzstan under an Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
For scientific activities and for human resources training, the Institute of Nuclear Physics cooperates with the largest research and educational institutions in the world such as CERN, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, TENMAK, etc. In addition, the Institute participates in the International Mega-Science Projects NA-62, HIKE, DUNE.
Also during the conversation, the deputy paid special attention to the issues of personnel retraining in the field of nuclear physics. “The Institute of Nuclear Physics has a very rich history since its founding, and the projects implemented at the Institute are of strategic importance. Accordingly, the issues of staffing the Institute with the qualified personnel and their retraining should be the primary task of the institution.” - said Nurtore Zhusip.
The Senator focused on the issue of NPP construction, which is currently widely discussed among the population of the country. He noted that the citizens of our country are very concerned about the NPP construction, its safe use and benefits for the country. During the meeting, the General Director of the Institute, Sayabek Sakhiyev, emphasized that the INP is provided with appropriate infrastructure for training the specialists for nuclear power plants, in particular, the stationary research reactor WWR-K, a critical experimental reactor facility, accelerators of various types, and three Training Centers are also available at the Institute: Radiation Safety Training Center, Non-Destructive Testing Training Center, Nuclear Security Training Center that provide training of human resources for the nuclear industry. IAEA experts also work at the Institute. Last year, a tripartite Consortium Agreement was concluded between the INP - Al-Farabi KazNU - KAES, which involves human resources training for a nuclear power plant at the Institute of Nuclear Physics.
“As noted by the Head of State Tokayev K.K. in his interview published on “Egemen Kazakhstan”, the construction of a nuclear power plant is a fundamental issue for the future of our economy and its energy security. Relevant public hearings will be held on the construction issue. I think the Institute should be at the forefront on this issue and act as a vector,” - noted Nurtore Zhusip.
During his visit to the INP, the Chairman of the Senate Committee visited the stationary research reactor in Kazakhstan WWR-K, a storage facility for spent sources of ionizing radiation, the building where the Institute’s researchers are going to assemble straw detectors for the international DUNE experiment, the Scientific-Technical Center of Radiochemistry and Isotope Production and the Site for production of hydrogel dressings.
It should be noted that last year the Institute was awarded with a grant from the JSC “Science Foundation” for establishment of a site for production of hydrogel dressings in accordance with the modern requirements of the GOST ISO 13485 standard. Within the framework of this grant, the first stage of works - preparation of the production site and purchase of equipment - has been practically completed. In 2024, it is planned to certify the quality management system and submit the dressings for registration to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan as medical products. Hydrogel dressings were developed for medical institutions of the Republic of Kazakhstan (clinics, hospitals, burn centers, emergency centers).
At the end of the Senator’s visit, the parties exchanged views on some topical issues and expressed appreciation to each other for the warm and productive dialogue.
