Radio România Internațional

Tag: ELI-NP

  • March 13, 2019

    March 13, 2019

    BUDGET -
    Parliament is today re-examining the 2019 draft budget. President Iohannis sent
    the bill back to Parliament after the Constitutional Court ruled against his
    objections tied to its elaboration. The ruling coalition has announced it won’t
    make any modification, as the current dispositions ensure the necessary
    resources for the most important economic fields. The President said budget
    allocations are based on unrealistic estimates, affecting the functioning of
    key public institutions as well as the development of local communities and the
    implementation of strategic investments. Klaus Iohannis on Monday ratified the
    social security budget for 2019, so that pensioners should not suffer from what
    he has called the incompetence of the Social-Democratic Party.

    MUSEUM -
    Romania’s Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said Romania pays special attention to
    combating anti-Semitism, racism, xenophobia and hate speech. The Romanian official
    attended the conference titled The Future of Memory: The National Museum of
    Jewish and Holocaust History in Romania. Viorica Dancila said this museum will
    contribute to educating society and owning to some difficult moments in the
    past. The Prime Minister said effective measures must be taken to combat
    anti-Semitism and make sure Jews can live in safety in Europe. The Conference
    was organized by the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union,
    in cooperation with the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the Elie Wiesel National
    Institute for the Study of the Holocaust and the Federation of Jewish
    Communities from Romania.

    ELI-NP -
    The Extreme Light Infrastructure – Nuclear Physics Center in Magurele today hosted
    an event marking a remarkable breakthrough – the high-power laser has reached
    and exceeded 10 Petawatts, a new world record. Experts believe this project can
    pave the way for countless vistas of scientific research. The authorities in
    Bucharest have congratulated the team of Romanian and foreign researchers. The
    Government says it supported this complex project, one of the most important
    European research facilities built with EU and national funds.

    BREXIT -
    The British Parliament is today voting on a no-deal Brexit after the House of
    Commons yesterday voted against an agreement with the EU on Brexit for the
    second time. If British MPs vote for a no-deal Brexit, London will most likely
    call for a postponement of their withdrawal from the community bloc, originally
    scheduled for March 29. Prime Minister Theresa May expressed her deep regret
    with Tuesday’s vote and what she has termed the best and only possible deal.
    EU Chief Negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier reacted to Tuesday’s vote, saying
    the EU has done everything in its power to ensure the deal goes through and
    that only London authorities can overcome this deadlock. European Council
    President Donald Tusk in turn said the UK must come up with a good explanation
    as regards any delay. In Bucharest, Minister Delegate for European Affairs
    George Ciamba said the authorities will continue their efforts to protect the rights
    of Romanian citizens in the UK and of British citizens in Romania.

    STATISTICS -
    The average net income in Romania has dropped to some 625 euros in January this
    year, down by 0.7% as compared to December 2018, reads a report made public on
    Wednesday by the National Statistics Institute. The highest level of the
    average net income was reported in the IT services fields, while the lowest
    level in the apparel manufacturing industry. The average net income has gone up
    by 18.2% as compared to January 2018.

    FLU
    EPIDEMIC – The death toll of the flu epidemic in Romania has
    reached 172, according to the latest report of the National Center for
    Surveillance and Control of Infectious Diseases. The latest victim is a
    68-year-old woman from Galati County infected with the type A flu virus. She
    had no previous medical problems and had not taken the anti-flu vaccine.
    According to the National Institute for Public Health, some 1.3 million people
    have taken the anti-flu vaccine this season.

    MOTION -
    The right-wing opposition has filed a simple motion against Finance Minister
    Eugen Teodorovici, to be debated on Monday in the Chamber of Deputies and voted
    on Wednesday. Titled The Social-Democratic greed undermines national economy,
    the document says the latest emergency decree introducing additional taxes for
    banks, energy and telecom companies harms the country’s economy, and the
    ministers responsible must be held accountable in Parliament.

    MEETING -
    Romanian Foreign Ministry Teodor Melescanu met with the Speaker of the
    Parliament of North Macedonia, Talat Xhaferi, who is on a visit to Bucharest.
    Teodor Melescanu reiterated Romania’s support for North Macedonia’s European
    accession efforts. Talat Xhaferi’s visit coincides with the Senate’s vote on
    the ratification of North Macedonia’s NATO accession protocol, scheduled to
    take place today. The vote is the final step in the process of adopting the law
    ratifying the protocol, after the Chamber of Deputies cast its vote in
    February.

    TENNIS -
    Romanian tennis player Simona Halep WTA no. 2 on Tuesday lost to Marketa
    Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 in the round of 16 at Indian
    Wells, a tournament with over 9 million dollars up for grabs. Halep won the
    tournament in 2015 and reached the semi-finals last year. The pair made up of
    Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands was ousted by Novak
    Djokovic of Serbia and Fabio Fognini of Italy.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • ELI-NP laser facility in Romania enters new stage

    ELI-NP laser facility in Romania enters new stage

    The laser within the Extreme Light Infrastructure Nuclear Physics Facility (ELI-NP) in Magurele, near Bucharest, has reported a new historic performance, as on March 10 it reached a power of 10 peta-watts. To get an idea of what this means, one peta is 10 at the power of 15. The laser facility in Magurele has thus become the most powerful such facility in the world, exceeding the power of that in South Korea, which produces only 4 peta-watts.



    The Romanian authorities have congratulated the team of Romanian and foreign researchers in Magurele. According to a press release, government officials underlined that this complex project, ELI-NP, which demonstrates the significant scientific progress reported at world level in the field of high power lasers, is being built with financial resources allotted under the European Regional Development Operational Program plus national funding. A communiqué issued by PM Dancila writes that Romanians have all the reasons to be proud of their scientists who, alongside foreign experts, have managed to build the most powerful laser in the world.



    The benefits of implementing the ELI-NP project are numerous. Experts have taken a huge step in their search for practical answers in critical domains such as the replacement of expensive technologies in the energy field or researching revolutionary methods in the medical field. The PM has also congratulated the entire team of experts working on the ELI-NP facility and has assured them of the Romanian governments full support.



    The high power laser facility in Magurele will help discover radioactive isotopes that will be able to treat cancer or contribute to the full identification of the content of radioactive waste barrels without the barrels being opened, which is extremely difficult at present. The laser is also going to be used to test materials used in space missions that unfold for longer periods of time.



    The project in Magurele was launched in 2013 and the investment stands at almost 300 million Euros. The ELI-NP infrastructure spans almost 33,000 square meters, consisting of high quality thermally-insulated buildings, most of them used for the high power laser facility, for the connected high intensity gamma ray source and for experiments. The compound also includes civil constructions such as offices, a guesthouse and a cafeteria. Working at the biggest laser facility of the world will be a team of experts from all over the world, eager and willing to experience the new opportunities offered by science. The Magurele laser facility benefits from state-of-the-art equipment, so researchers are expected to discover new, amazing things every day.



    (translated by: Lacramioara Simion)

  • Nouvelle étape pour le laser de Măgurele

    Nouvelle étape pour le laser de Măgurele

    Le laser du Centre Extreme Light Infrastructure-Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) de Măgurele, à proximité de Bucarest, a atteint une nouvelle performance historique — le 7 mars, il a atteint la puissance de 10 petawatts. Pour vous faire une idée, précisons que le petawatt, c’est 10 puissance 15 watts. L’installation implantée près de la capitale roumaine est ainsi devenue la plus puissante de ce type du monde, laissant loin derrière celle de Corée du Sud, qui n’a qu’une puissance de 4 petawatts.



    Les pouvoirs publics de Bucarest ont félicité l’équipe de chercheurs roumains et étrangers de Măgurele. Selon un communiqué de presse, le gouvernement mentionne que ce projet complexe, ELI-NP, signe d’une évolution scientifique işportqnte au niveau mondial dans le domaine des lasers de très haute puissance, est construit avec des ressources financières allouées par le Programme européen opérationnel consacré au développement régional, auquel s’ajoutent des fonds nationaux. « Nous avons toutes les raisons d’être fiers que les scientifiques roumains, aux côtés de spécialistes de taille internationale, ont réussi à construire le laser le plus puissant du monde. Les bénéfices de la mise en place du projet Extreme Light Infrastructure sont multiples. Les spécialistes ont fait un pas immense à la recherche de réponses pratiques dans des domaines importants tels que le remplacement des technologies coûteuses dans le domaine de l’énergie ou la recherche de méthodes révolutionnaires dans le secteur médical. Je félicite l’équipe de chercheurs de ELI-NP et je les assure de tout le soutien du gouvernement, affirme dans un communiqué la première ministre Viorica Dăncilă.



    Le laser de haute puissance de Măgurele aidera à la découverte d’isotopes radioactifs qui peuvent traiter le cancer ou qui pourront contribuer à l’identification complète du contenu des fûts de déchets radioactifs, sans qu’ils soient défaits, chose extrêmement difficile à présent. Il sera également utilisé pour tester les matériaux qui sont utilisés dans des missions spatiales envoyées loin de la Terre pour des périodes longues de temps.



    La mise en place du projet de Măgurele a commencé en 2013, et l’investissement s’élève à environ 300 millions d’euros. L’infrastructure ELI-NP s’étend sur 33.000 m² avec des bâtiments de haute qualité et efficaces du point de vue énergétique, la plupart alloués au système laser de haute puissance, au système gamma de grande intensité afférent et aux expérimentations. A cela s’ajoutent des bâtiments civils, qui comprennent un immeuble de bureaux, une maison d’hôtes et une cantine. L’activité au laser le plus grand du monde sera un travail d’équipe, à laquelle des chercheurs du monde entier ont confirmé la participation. Vu que tous les équipements de Măgurele sont nouveaux dans le monde, travailler à ELI-NP sera une activité de découverte, certaines peut-être extraordinaires, jour après jour.


    (Trad.: Ligia)

  • The Laser in Magurele is operational

    The Laser in Magurele is operational


    The laser in Măgurele, near Bucharest, has been assembled and the final tests have been completed. ELI-NP, Extreme-Light Infrastructure-Nuclear Physics, the most powerful laser in the world at this moment, is made up of two 10-peta-watt lasers, two 1-peta-watt lasers and two 100-terawatt lasers. The system, designed to develop 10% of the Suns power, will run jointly with another system, the only one of its kind in the world, which produces a gamma-ray beam. The system in Măgurele is the outcome of over 30 years of global research, in which billions and billions of dollars were invested. It uses the most advanced, high-end technology of the moment. The mirrors of the laser, for instance, are unique in the world, and nothing similar has ever been made, Magurele officials have said. The project started in 2013 and will be fully completed in 2019.



    Academician Nicolae Zamfir, the director of the project, told us about the development of this project, which was only an idea a decade ago, and which is designed to help European research and innovation to keep up with the competition of the US, China and of other major players in the field. Nicolae Zamfir:



    “I believe nobody expected such a fantastic evolution. It was only an idea 10 years ago, and now we see that ELI is no longer a mere blueprint, it really exists. Three facilities have been built and they will soon be fully equipped. In brief, it is an extraordinary progress, for such a large scale project to reach its final stages in just 10 years.”



    The whole structure, weighing 100,000 tons, is placed on a platform supported by 1,000 pillars on springs and shock absorbers. The technical solution for the building, worked out by Romanian experts, has been designed to keep the laser beam and the gamma-ray beam aligned. All this is because the structure must not move more than one micron, in case of an earthquake.



    The costs amounted to 350 million Euros. 20% are covered from government sources and the rest from non-reimbursable funds from the European Commission. Thirteen countries took part in the competition to host this European project, not only in order to get the European funds at stake, but also to seize the opportunity of being part of an outstanding breakthrough, in a field in which they had long been interested. Romania is now a major player, says Nicolae Zamfir, who announced that Măgurele will also host an ELI-ERIC research institute:



    “We try to lay the foundations of the future ELI-ERIC institute, a new type of institution, recently approved by the European Parliament, which will be governed by EU rules. We hope that Germany will become a member of the consortium, together with the host countries. Of course, Romania, Hungary, and the Czech Republic will be members, but we also need the presence of other countries, both for their scientific know-how, and for their financial strength. We expect the entire European scientific community to take part in the experiments we will run here.”



    ELI-LP is regarded as a remarkable project not only for Romania, but also for the European Union as a whole. The Chairman of the German Bundestag Committee on Foreign Affairs, Gunther Krichbaum, who has recently visited Măgurele, has underlined the need to develop such extensive, wide-scope European projects, which can assure the blocs competitiveness in relation to the US, Japan and China.



    Speaking about ELI and the future ELI-ERIC structure, Gunther Krichbaum has said the project offers a huge opportunity, and praised the determination of all those involved in it. The German official also said this is only the beginning and that other projects will follow suit, because Romania has highly skilled people and good universities. In Krichbaums opinion, this is a way to avoid brain drain, enabling Romania to ensure good career prospects to its highly qualified citizens.



    The research works in Măgurele will have a significant impact in many areas, such as physics, astronomy and medicine. In 2010, when a White Book of the ELI-NP project was issued, experts highlighted over 200 experiments which are to be made using these one-of-a-kind pieces of equipment. Some of them have to do with ultra high field research in the domain of medicine, for fighting cancer, for instance, others with outer-space technology, by creating cosmic radiation resistant materials to protect astronauts on their way to Mars.



    As an ELI-ERIC host-country, Romania will see its own national scientific research field improved, will strengthen its presence in the European and international circuit, and will also contribute to know-how exchanges and to technologic development, which is an issue of high interest for world and economic research. The project will also create the prerequisites for further technology transfers and for boosting economic development, by means of attracting investors and of setting up science and technology parks and industrial parks.




  • Top-level Scientific Project Funded by EU

    Top-level Scientific Project Funded by EU

    The ELI-NP project developed in Magurele, near Bucharest, is the nuclear physics component of the pan-European Extreme Light Infrastructure programme, and during a visit to Romania on Tuesday it was described by the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas as one of the most innovative such projects in Europe. Expectations are great with respect to the worlds largest laser which is being built in Magurele. Researchers hope the laser will bring substantial benefits in fields such as medicine, pharmaceuticals, astrophysics and nuclear physics.



    During his visit to Magurele, the European Commissioner Carlos Moedas said there should be more talk about this project both in Europe and outside it, and that more people should be attracted into experimenting and proving the importance of making the invisible world observable. He mentioned that little was known about the dark matter, which makes up most of the Universe, and that ELI paved the way for better understanding it.



    Carlos Moedas also argued that the projects developed as part of ELI, which he described as one of the best examples of open science in the world, may be Nobel winners in the future. According to the EU official, researchers from India, Israel, Japan, from around the world, are interested in the project in Romania, which is a huge opportunity for the country to showcase its performances in the field of science and the high-level professionals that it has.



    In his turn, the Education Minister Mircea Dumitru, who visited the centre in Magurele together with the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, said ELI-NP was an extraordinary achievement:



    “What happens here is absolutely fascinating. It will certainly generate scientific breakthroughs that we cannot imagine today. If we look at the level of the research work done here and at what they intend to do in the future, in 10-15 years time we will likely see accomplishments worthy of a Nobel prize.



    Funded by the European Union, the project is to be completed by 2019. So far, components of the laser have passed the individual tests run in Paris and are being assembled. More than 50 researchers have already been employed to work in Magurele, many of them Romanian experts having previously worked abroad.


    (Translated by A.M. Popescu)

  • October 11, 2016

    October 11, 2016

    TOUR – As of Tuesday the Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu will go on a four-day tour of Asia. According to the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the tour includes an official visit to Indonesia, aimed at boosting diplomatic bilateral dialogue and consolidating economic cooperation with this country. On Thursday and Friday, the Romanian Foreign Minister will attend the 21st Ministerial Meeting of the European Union – Association of South-East Asian Nations (EU-ASEAN) in Thailand. On the sidelines of the meeting, Lazar Comanescu will hold a series of bilateral talks with his counterparts from ASEAN countries.



    TALKS – Slovakian President Andrej Kiska today took part in a Romanian-Slovakian business forum. Also today the Slovakian official is visiting the town of Nadlac in western Romania, home to the largest Slovakian minority in Romania. On Tuesday, the Slovakian president held talks with his Romanian counterpart, Klaus Iohannis, regarding the political and economic cooperation between the two states and the fight against corruption. Iohannis and Kiska highlighted that the Slovakian minority in Romania and the Romanian community in Slovakia have a substantial contribution to the development of ties between the two states. Andrej Kiska also met with Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, discussing the development of rural areas, social inclusion policies and supporting job mobility.



    MOTION – The Chamber of Deputies is today debating and voting a simple motion targeting Justice Minister Raluca Pruna. The Social-Democrats are calling for her resignation after she admitted in a recent meeting of the Supreme Defence Council that she lied to European Court of Human Rights judges when claiming seven prisons in Romania were allotted a budget of 1 billion euros. The information was based on official documents, whereas the money didnt actually exist, Raluca Pruna said. The statement was made in the context of the underfunding in the justice system, Pruna calling for further investment and the need for a multi-annual investment plan. The Government is not forced to sack the justice minister, even if the motion is passed in Parliament.



    VISIT – EU Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas is on Tuesday paying an official visit to Bucharest. He will meet with Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, Education Minister Mircea Dumitru, the president of the National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, Mihai Robert Dima, and with Romanian Academy president Ionel Valentin Vlad. Carlos Moedas will also meet with the members of Parliaments Committees on European affairs, education, science, youth and sports. Additionally, Commissioner Moedas will visit the ELI-NP laser project in Magurele.



    FOOTBALL – Romanias football team is today playing the national team of Kazakhstan away from home, in its third preliminary game in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. On Saturday, in Erevan, Romania defeated Armenia, 5-0. In the same group E, Poland won 3-2 against Denmark, and Montenegro beat Kazakhstan 5-0. With 4 points each, Romania, Montenegro and Poland top the group table. Last month the national team drew at home against Montenegro, 1-1, in the first game with the German Cristoph Daum as the first foreign manager of the Romanian team. This autumn Romania is to also play at home against Poland, on November 11.



    WEATHER – Its getting cold across the country, with overcast skies and showers reported in the southeast, northeast and center. Meteorologists have issued a code orange alert in place until Wednesday and a code yellow alert in place until Thursday against heavy rainfall. Snowfalls and strong wind are expected in the mountains. Maximum temperatures range from 6 to 18 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was 11 degrees.

    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • Romania and nuclear scientific research

    Romania and nuclear scientific research

    A historic moment for Romanian research as the countrys flag was flown on Monday at the headquarters of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) near Geneva, in Switzerland. On the 17th of July, Romania became the 22nd full-fledged member of this organisation, the worlds biggest research centre in the field of particle physics. This was the result of a long process that began in 1991, when CERN and the government in Bucharest signed an agreement on scientific and technical cooperation.



    Attending the flag raising ceremony, president Klaus Iohannis highlighted the special importance of Romanias membership for the scientific and research community in this country. He said Romania was proud to join the CERN community, which is tantamount to international recognition of excellence in the field of Romanian research, a field that has had remarkable achievements.



    Klaus Iohannis praised the contribution of Romanian researchers, engineers and technical experts who have taken part in CERNs activities in the last 20 years and have thus consolidated the countrys image abroad. At the moment, there are more than 170 Romanian physicists and engineers from five universities and three research institutes in Romania who are working on nine CERN projects. The president encouraged Romanian researchers who presented the projects they are working on to take advantage of the opportunities that come with Romanias CERN membership. The most important such benefit, according to the president, is the direct impact it will have on long-term research in Romania.



    Moreover, Romania has the opportunity to produce, develop and supply the necessary scientific equipment for the completion of the current research projects. The president also said that membership of CERN may facilitate the transfer of technology and expertise to the industrial sector in Romania, with obvious economic benefits. Romanian companies, research institutes and entrepreneurs will thus have access to CERNs large portfolio of technological and scientific capabilities acquired over 50 years of activity. Another major project in which the Romanian nuclear research community is involved is the Extreme Light Infrastructure – Nuclear Physics, known as the laser in Magurele and the most powerful laser in the world. It is estimated that implementation works will be finalised in December 2018.


    (Translated by C. Mateescu)

  • Ambasciata d’Italia saluta visita Klaus Iohannis a laser Magurele

    Ambasciata d’Italia saluta visita Klaus Iohannis a laser Magurele

    L’Ambasciata d’Italia a Bucarest è molto lieta della visita del presidente romeno, Klaus Iohannis, all’Istituto di Fisica Nucleare di Magurele, nei pressi di Bucarest, dove sono in corso i lavori al più grande progetto scientifico della regione. Si tratta di un laser di altissima potenza, nell’ambito del progetto ELI-NP (Extreme Light Infrastructure – Nuclear Physics), in cui l’Italia svolge un ruolo fondamentale.



    Nei mesi scorsi, si è conclusa la gara per la costruzione del sistema GSB (Gamma Beam System), nell’ambito del progetto, aggiudicata da un consorzio europeo guidato dall’Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare d’Italia. Accanto all’INFN, il consorzio raggruppa anche altri istituti di ricerca e imprese europee di prestigio.



    Grazie a questo progetto, Magurele diventerà un valoroso centro di ricerca scientifica per la fisica nucleare che consentirà nuovi scambi di know-how e trasferimenti di tecnologie, creando allo stesso tempo un cluster di aziende specializzate in high-tech, che attirerà un numero considerevole di ricercatori e scienziati di più Paesi, ricorda l’Ambasciata d’Italia nel comunicato.



    Lo scorso novembre, nell’ambito del semestre italiano di Presidenza dell’UE, l’Ambasciatore d’Italia a Bucarest, Diego Brasioli, insieme alla Rappresentanza della Commissione Europea in Romania, ha promosso la visita degli ambasciatori degli stati UE al progetto ELI-NP finanziato da fondi comunitari, con il sostegno e la partecipazione del ministro con delega alla Ricerca scientifica e del ministro incaricato alla gestione dei fondi europei, precisa ancora la fonte.

  • A la Une de la presse roumaine du 12.07.2013

    A la Une de la presse roumaine du 12.07.2013

    Le premier ministre roumain annonce des investissements fabuleux. Parmi eux, Rosia Montana et le gaz de schiste. Thales fournira les lasers pour le projet ELI–NP déroulé à Magurele et les passionnés du jazz sont attendus à Garâna. Détails dans la revue de presse de RRI.