The Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics (BINP), located in Akademgorodok, Russia, is a prominent center for advanced study founded in 1959 by Gersh Budker, after whom it was renamed in 1977. Despite its name, BINP primarily focuses on high-energy, particle, and plasma physics, rather than military atomic science or nuclear reactors. Notably, in 1961, it pioneered the construction of VEP-1, the Soviet Union's first colliding beam particle accelerator.
Employing over 3000 people, the institute operates several active facilities, including the VEPP-4 and VEPP-2000 colliders, and the NovoFEL (Novosibirsk Free Electron Laser). BINP also played a significant role in international collaborations, contributing equipment like beamline magnets to CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) from 1993 to 2001. Its diverse research also includes an accelerator-based neutron source (BNCT) for cancer therapy experiments, though the institute was placed on the USA sanction list in July 2023 in connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.