On March 2, 2023, an agreement was signed that consolidates the status of MEPhI as a center for cooperation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The agreement was signed by MEPhI Rector Vladimir Shevchenko and Deputy Director General, Head of the IAEA Department of Nuclear Energy Mikhail Chudakov.

The signing ceremony was attended by leading employees of the Department of Nuclear Energy and the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications of the IAEA, the heads of MEPhI and representatives of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to international organizations in Vienna.

The IAEA Collaborating Center system, focused on research, development and training, helps to achieve important indicators of the United Nations sustainable development goals. MEPhI, as the IAEA Collaborating Center, will assist the IAEA in the implementation of activities within the framework of the IAEA Program "Nuclear Power, Fuel Cycle and Nuclear Science" in the following main areas - nuclear education, nuclear knowledge and information management, long-term strategies in the field of nuclear energy, infrastructure for nuclear power, and others.

“MEPhI has been preserving and improving nuclear education for decades,” Mikhail Chudakov noted at the signing ceremony. — There are many well-known scientists and even Nobel Prize winners among its graduates. And the university continues to educate new generations of nuclear specialists.

The IAEA and the Department of Nuclear Energy, which I head, have cooperated with MEPhI on many joint projects. These include education, training and human resource development on a wide range of topics: advanced reactors, INPRO schools, the fuel cycle, nuclear knowledge management, to name but a few.”

For his part, Vladimir Shevchenko stressed: “We look forward to cooperation with the IAEA in many important areas, including the provision of expert services in the implementation of the main IAEA programs and technical cooperation programs, the fulfillment of the obligations of the Russian Federation to maintain and develop the INIS information system, the implementation of specific projects for contract basis and internships for students and young employees at the IAEA. We are also committed to strengthening our contribution to the implementation of IAEA nuclear education programs, including the IAEA International Nuclear Management Academy (INMA), the School of Nuclear Knowledge Management and the School of Nuclear Energy Management, the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO)”.

The parties agreed to carry out the activities provided for by the work plan for 2023–2027 and conduct an interim assessment of cooperation under this agreement in order to improve the quality of the work being carried out and update their focus to achieve the set goals.