From January 12 to 30, 2026, a joint physics school for the Arab Republic of Egypt (ARE) and the Republic of South Africa (RSA) is being held for the first time. This school precedes the students' arrival for the International Student Practice (ISP) at JINR in June.
The South African part of the school is the traditional SAINTS Summer School, which is taking place in person at iThemba LABS of the National Research Foundation (NRF) near Cape Town. The event is funded under the South Africa–JINR programme. It involves 30 students from 13 universities across South Africa, with their academic levels ranging from recent graduates to postgraduate students. The school's programme covers topics such as radiation safety, nuclear physics, radiation biology, materials science, and particle physics. In addition to lectures, the students will carry out a series of practicals related to the material covered and will be introduced to JINR's research activities.
Simultaneously, the school is being conducted in Egypt by The Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT). Over 100 students from 34 universities are joining the lectures and seminars taking place at iThemba LABS in real-time. Instructors from the ARE and RSA provide students with lecture materials prepared by their colleagues and experts. A particular value is the opportunity to receive these materials directly from Egyptian and South African specialists, which significantly broadens academic horizons and allows for deeper immersion into the subjects studied.
"We are observing positive dynamics: the number of active participants is growing every day," notes Mona Shoman, the Egyptian head of the School. "Many of the invited students are currently finishing their examination session, which will end on January 22. We expect a new surge in activity after this date."
he initial feedback from participants who have already joined the School's work is exceptionally positive. Students highly appreciate the substantive richness of the sessions and their practical value.
This School holds independent significance as an element of national capacity building in cooperation with JINR and also serves as an important preparatory stage for another joint event. Its key goal is to select motivated and gifted students for participation in the Summer Session of the International Student Practice at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR).
The best of the best following the school's results will have the opportunity to travel to Dubna in June. For three weeks, they will immerse themselves in an atmosphere of cutting-edge research, working on real scientific projects under the guidance of leading JINR scientists.
