The 1st International Conference on Nuclear Science & Technology (ICNST) as well as the 30th National Nuclear Conference have been held in Isfahan. The Atomic Energy Organisation if Iran (AEOI) said more than 500 scientific articles were submitted to the conference, which included 16 specialised panels, round-table meetings, and an exhibition. Around 100 academic speakers, including over 50 foreigners, took part in the conference in person or via video. The conferences were preceded by panels of experts AEOI Deputy head Mohammad Ghannadi-Maragheh began the specialised meetings by highlighting the AEOI’s past achievements and services. He said that the organisation has made great achievements in fuel cycle, nuclear electricity generation, radiopharmaceuticals, and radioisotopes used in industry and agriculture, among other things. He added that the organisation intends to make further progress in accordance with a strategic comprehensive document that sets goals for the next 17 years.
AEOI head Mohammad Eslami in his opening address to the ICNST said Iran plans to generate an annual 20,000 MWe of nuclear power by 2041, noting that Iran was ready to attract foreign investment. He also announced that an international centre for training in nuclear science will be inaugurated in Isfahan within the next two months. He said the centre will serve as an “influential hub” for training human forces to fulfil the purpose of promoting human resources in the nuclear industry. He also expressed hope that the conference would help Tehran share its achievements with other countries despite international sanctions.
Addressing the opening ceremony, the President of Russia’s National Research Centre Kurchatov Institute, Mikhail Kovalchuk, said: "The Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation is and will [remain] a strategic partner of the Kurchatov Institute, the Iranian side can always count on our support," he emphasised. Kovalchuk noted that "Iranian scientists, thanks to their high professionalism, have achieved breakthroughs" despite the fact that the country has been under strict sanctions for more than 40 years. "I am deeply convinced that successful examples of the scientific and technological development of Iran and Russia, which are under external pressure and face modern difficulties and threats, are extremely important for both countries.” Kovalchuk invited Eslami and his colleagues to visit the Kurchatov Institute.
In his address to the conference, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi stated that the world faced serious challenges in the fields of health, energy, and other matters in the past years. Noting that nuclear energy can answer many current challenges, he said that floods and rising air temperatures can harm everything. He added that diseases like cancer are one of the most serious challenges in the world, saying that the world faces more than 4 million cases of cancer every year. Grossi added that the world has been deprived of the cooperation of nuclear scientists of Iran and the world due to political challenges, adding that the Isfahan international conference can help to solve the global problems.
Among the guests was Abdullah bin Saud Al-Anzi, the ambassador of Saudi Arabia in Tehran, who met with Eslami on the sidelines of this conference. In that meeting, he said: "God willing, we will see more progress in the field of bilateral cooperation and in the field of peaceful nuclear activities." Referring to Saudi Arabia's approach to the development of new technologies, Eslami stated: "Saudi Arabia has taken a new approach and seeks to develop nuclear technology, and we are ready to cooperate with the countries of the region, especially Saudi Arabia."
Image: Iran's first international conference on nuclear sciences and techniques was held in Isfahan
