On November, 10 MEPhI organized and conducted a roundtable “MEPhI: education and science for development and safety” in Vienna (Austria) on the territory of TechGate business centre. The aim of the event is the promotion of the university image as Russian and world centre of science and education. The event was conducted at the same time as the III International conference on nuclear knowledge management: challenges and approaches, in which MEPhI representatives participated.

The roundtable consisted of two sessions. The moderator was A.N.Kosilov, the CEO of the international network of nuclear education STAR-NET. In the first part of the event welcoming speeches were given by:

• O.V.Nagornov, MEPhI First pro-rector;
• M.V.Chudakov, Deputy CEO, Head of the Nuclear Energetics department, IAEA;
• V.A.Pershukov, Deputy CEO, Head of the block on Innovations’ management, Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation.
• A.V.Bychkov, official representative of Rosatom State Corporation under IAEA.

The first session was concluded by MEPhI First pro-rector O.V.Nagornov with a general presentation about the university – history of creation, directions of activity, creation of strategic academic units, and modernization of the university structure. He highlighted that for the past years MEPhI has enhanced the number of events with participation of famous scientists; the number of foreign teachers and students has also grown. During his speech he mentioned that MEPhI makes the first steps on opening of its representation office in Vienna. At first, IAEA and other nuclear organisations are based in Vienna, which is important for a specialized university. Secondly, Vienna is practically the centre of Europe, and MEPhI has many contacts with European universities. The opening of the representation office is supposed to strengthen MEPhI international cooperation in scientific and educational activity in the sphere of technological innovations.

The second part of the roundtable was dedicated to the presentation of 5 strategic academic units. Leading specialists of each Institute told about global tasks of strategic academic units, the ways to solve them, the developments of each Institute, scientific and educational opportunities:

• S.V.Popruzhenko, Institute of laser and plasma technologies;
• V.A.Labunov, Institute of nanotechnologies in electronics, spintronics, and photonics;
• A.V.Kabashin, Engineering-physical institute of biomedicine;
• V.N.Fedoseev, Institute of nuclear physics and technologies;
• A.V.Samsonovich, Institute of intellectual cybernetic systems.

Reports of MEPhI specialists were supported by comments of scientists from foreign universities-partners, with which each university cooperates. Jacques H.M. Cohen, Head of nanoscientific research laboratory ЕА4682, the University of Reims, Olivier L. Georgeon, Associate Professor of  Claude Bernard University Lyon 1; Julien Fuchs, leading specialist of CNRS France and David Blaschke, Professor at University of Wrocław, Poland came to the roundtable.

Several foreign scientists left video messages (Zinetula Insepov, Paras N. Prasad, Sokratis Katsikas, Bart Preneal).

At the meeting there were Head of the Vienna International Nuclear Competences Center (VINCC), representative of Nuclear Knowledge Management section of the IAEA, Head of the Research Reactor section of the IAEA, representatives of foreign universities etc.

Representatives of leading foreign media were invited to the roundtable. The event was visited by journalists from China, Vietnam, Poland, Bulgaria, Spain, Austria, Italy, Turkey, Brazil, and Lebanon.