Academy of Sciences president regrets Russia's loss of global nuclear physics market
MOSCOW. April 10 (Interfax) - Russian Academy of Sciences President Alexander Sergeyev considers the Russia nuclear physics sector's dependence on foreign manufacturers and the loss of the global market in this sphere inadmissible.
"We have to say that our country, an acknowledged global leader in high-energy and nuclear physics, has become dependent on foreign manufacturers in practically every field and has lost the giant global market," Sergeyev said at a joint meeting of the Academy Presidium and the Academic Board of the Kurchatov Institute in Moscow on Tuesday.
"This is totally inadmissible, given the task of fighting cancer and achieving 80+ life expectancy by 2030," he said.
"Russian fundamental and field-specific science has every competency and technology it needs to produce positron emission tomography units, positron therapy devices, and other equipment locally," Sergeyev said.
"These competencies should be used across the country as soon as possible. This is a big national project, which could be a joint undertaking of the Academy of Sciences, the Kurchatov Institute, Rosatom, and the Health Ministry," he said.
The issue has been discussed with the heads of the Kurchatov Institute, the Health Ministry, and Rosatom, and the academy is ready to put forward relevant proposals, Sergeyev said.