AGREEMENT ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A JOINT INSTITUTE FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH

Summary

This international treaty, concluded in Moscow on March 26, 1956, establishes the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) among eleven founding member states. The agreement outlines the purpose of international collaboration in theoretical and experimental nuclear physics for peaceful purposes, establishes its scientific laboratories in the Kalinin Region (USSR), and sets governing structures, budgetary shares, and administrative procedures.

Page 1 - Preamble and Plenipotentiaries

The Governments of the People’s Republic of Albania, the People’s Republic of Bulgaria, the Hungarian People’s Republic, the German Democratic Republic, the People’s Republic of China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Mongolian People’s Republic, the Polish People’s Republic, the Romanian People’s Republic, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and of the Czechoslovak Republic,

ATTACHING great importance to the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes and for the benefit of all mankind, and

RECOGNIZING the need for cooperation among scientists of different countries in theoretical and experimental research in nuclear physics aimed at expanding the opportunities for peaceful uses of atomic energy,

HAVE DECIDED to conclude this Agreement and HAVE APPOINTED as their Plenipotentiaries:

the Government of the People’s Republic of Albania — SPIRO KOLEKA, Vice-Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Chairman of the State Planning Commission of the People’s Republic of Albania;

the Government of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria — RUBEN AVRAMOV, Minister of Culture of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria;

the Government of the Hungarian People’s Republic — ISTVÁN HIDAS, Vice-Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Hungarian People’s Republic;

the Government of the German Democratic Republic — ERNST WOLF, State Secretary;

the Government of the People’s Republic of China — LIU JIE, Deputy Minister of Geology of the People’s Republic of China;

the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — TEN DYUN THYAK, Minister of Chemical Industry of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea;

the Government of the Mongolian People’s Republic — SODNOMYN AVARZID, Deputy Prime Minister of the Mongolian People’s Republic;

the Government of the Polish People’s Republic — MIECZYSŁAW LESZ, Vice-President of the State Economic Planning Commission;

Page 2 - Plenipotentiaries (Cont.) and Articles I–III

the Government of the Romanian People’s Republic — GHEORGHE GASTON-MARIN, First Vice-President of the Planning Committee and President of the State Committee for Nuclear Energy under the Council of Ministers of the Romanian People’s Republic;

the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics — ALEXANDER TOPCHIEV, Chief Scientific Secretary of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences;

the Government of the Czechoslovak Republic — FRANTIŠEK VLASÁK, Minister of Energy of the Czechoslovak Republic;

who, having submitted their credentials, found in good and proper form, HAVE AGREED as follows:

Article I To provide for collaboration in the field of theoretical and experimental nuclear physics research among scientists of the signatory States to this Agreement, an international research organization named “a Joint Institute for Nuclear Research” shall be established.

Article II The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research shall carry out its activities on the basis of a Charter, a draft of which must be prepared by the Institute’s Directorate and approved by the Governments of the Member States.

The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research shall have legal personality. It may cooperate in its work with appropriate institutions and laboratories on the territories of the Institute’s Member States.

The Institute shall be located in Kalinin Region, USSR.

Article III Members of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research shall be the signatory States to this Agreement.

Other States which may wish in the future to participate in the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research shall agree and accept the provisions of this Agreement and shall become members by a decision taken by a majority of the Institute’s Member States.

Page 3 - Articles IV and V

Article IV The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research shall comprise the following scientific research laboratories:

a) a Laboratory of Nuclear Problems with a synchrocyclotron for a proton energy of 680 megaelectronvolts (the former Institute of Nuclear Problems of the USSR Academy of Sciences),

b) a Laboratory of High Energy Physics with a synchrophasotron for an estimated proton energy of 10 000 megaelectronvolts (the former Electrophysical Laboratory of the USSR Academy of Sciences),

The said Institute of Nuclear Problems and Electrophysical Laboratory of the USSR Academy of Sciences shall be handed over by the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics to the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research with all equipment, basic, auxiliary and administrative facilities and buildings from the date of entry into force of this Agreement.

With a view to further development of nuclear physics research, it shall be envisaged to build at the Institute:

a) a Laboratory of Theoretical Physics with a Computation Department and electronic computing machines,

b) a Laboratory of Neutron Physics with an experimental research reactor having a high neutron flux density,

c) a cyclotron designed to accelerate multicharged ions of various elements and to perform dedicated experimental work, as part of the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems.

d) other experimental facilities and laboratories.

Article V The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research shall be headed by a Director of the Institute and two Deputy Directors elected by a majority of the Member States from among scientists of these states. The Director shall be elected for a term of three years and the Deputy Directors — for a term of two years.

The Director and Deputy Directors shall be elected by the duly authorized representatives of the Institute’s Member States.

The Director shall be a person fully authorized to effect relations with appropriate institutions in the Member States of the Institute on all matters related to its activities.

Page 4 - Directorate, Scientific Council, and Article VI

The Directorate of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research shall be responsible to the Governments of the Member States for the Institute’s activities and shall periodically report to them.

A Scientific Council shall be established to discuss and approve the plans of research, the results of their implementation and other issues related to the scientific activities of the Institute.

Membership of the Scientific Council shall be appointed by the Member States from among their scientists, up to three persons from each State.

The Chairperson of the Scientific Council shall be the Director of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research.

The Director shall also appoint a Deputy in charge of construction and operational affairs of the Institute.

Article VI Each Member State of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research shall annually contribute in cash to the current operation expenses of the Institute and to the expenditure for the construction of new research facilities, and shall participate in the material support given to the Institute.

The sharing by the founder States of the expenditure for the construction and operation of the Institute shall be determined by the following scale:

People’s Republic of Albania: 0.05% People’s Republic of Bulgaria: 3.6% Hungarian People’s Republic: 4% German Democratic Republic: 6.75% People’s Republic of China: 20% Democratic People’s Republic of Korea: 0.05% Mongolian People’s Republic: 0.05% Polish People’s Republic: 6.75% Romanian People’s Republic: 5.75% Union of Soviet Socialist Republics: 47.25% Czechoslovak Republic: 5.75%.

Page 5 - Articles VII–IX

At admission of new States to the Institute and in the event of withdrawal of any Member State from the Institute, the cost sharing scale for the construction and for the operation of the Institute shall be reconsidered and a new scale shall be submitted for approval to the Governments of the Institute’s Member States.

The amount of the share of any Member State of the Institute cannot be a factor influencing the degree of the participation of this Member State or another in the scientific work and administration of the Institute.

Article VII A Finance Committee composed of representatives of all the Member States shall be established to approve the budget and to control the financial activities of the Institute. Each Member State shall have one representative in the Finance Committee. The Committee members shall be appointed by the Governments of the respective States. Meetings of the Finance Committee shall be chaired alternately by representatives of each Member State.

Article VIII Any Member State of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research may withdraw from the Institute.

Notice of withdrawal shall be given in writing to the Director of the Institute by the Plenipotentiary of a Member State wishing to leave the Institute not later than three months before the end of the current financial year.

Article IX The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research may be liquidated by agreement among the Governments of all the Member States of the Institute.

In case of liquidation of the Institute, all its equipment, basic, auxiliary and administrative facilities and buildings shall become the property of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the territory of which the Institute shall be located. The other Member States shall be paid a monetary compensation in accordance with their share in the capital expenditure of the Institute.

In case of liquidation of the Institute, its cash on hand, except for the part intended for the repayment of obligations, shall be divided among the States being Members of the

Page 6 - Article X and Signatures (Part 1)

Institute at the time of its liquidation proportionally to the actual cash contributions made by these Sates during their membership in the Institute.

Article X This Agreement shall enter into force on the date of its signature by all the Member States of the Institute. For every State acceding subsequently the Agreement shall enter into force on the date a decision has been taken to admit it to the Institute’s membership in accordance with the provisions of Article III of the Agreement.

Done at Moscow on 26 March 1956. This Agreement has been drawn up in one copy, in the Russian language. Certified copies of the Agreement shall be sent by the USSR Government to all the signatory States to this Agreement.

In witness whereof, the undersigned Plenipotentiaries have signed this Agreement and have attached thereto their official seals:

For the Government of the People’s Republic of Albania S. KOLEKA

For the Government of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria R. AVRAMOV

For the Government of the Hungarian People’s Republic I. HIDAS

For the Government of the German Democratic Republic E. WOLF

For the Government of the People’s Republic of China LIU JIE

For the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea TEN DYUN THYAK

For the Government of the Mongolian People’s Republic S. AVARZID

For the Government of the Polish People’s Republic M. LESZ

Page 7 - Signatures (Part 2)

For the Government of the Romanian People’s Republic G. GASTON-MARIN

For the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics A. TOPCHIEV

For the Government of the Czechoslovak Republic F. VLASÁK.