2.2
Collaboration
Translating the potential of nuclear science into viable technologies and transferable knowledge requires strategic partnerships across both the public and private sectors.
We are committed to helping cultivate the right conditions for successful new development and promoting collaboration across academia, research bodies, government and industry, both nationally and internationally.
We want to ensure the UK has the capabilities it needs – whether in physical infrastructure, or in the skills and knowledge of our people – to underpin innovation and secure the technologies of the future.
Collaboration in Numbers
We are currently involved in
12
EU programmes
with a combined value of
€75 million
and recently won
all six
of our bids for Horizon 2020 funding
Each year, we engage with
30+
international events
and collaborate with a range of international partners including the
IAEA & NEA
as well as other national laboratories in Canada, France, Japan and the USA
In 2020, we supported around
100
PhD students
and
25
postdoctoral research assistants (PDRAs)
at
20
universities
In 2020, we supervised
25 researchers
on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)
involving a team of
60+
industrial experts
Maintaining our specialist expertise for broader benefit
“When it comes to science and technology it can take what feels like a long time for value to be realised. But in order to make sure essential developments do come to fruition, it is vital to keep pushing and innovating the Core Science now.”
Dr Robin Taylor Senior Fellow at NNL
Dr Robin Taylor is a Senior Fellow at NNL and internationally known for his contributions to Actinide Chemistry.
“Separation chemistry underpins a broad range of activities, from fuel recycle to isotope recovery to treatment of waste. Advanced Recycle Isotope Separation (ARIS) was therefore chosen as a Core Science theme as it is an area in which NNL has historically been very strong and in which there are significant emerging opportunities. It will be supporting elements of each of our four Focus Areas in some way.
Over the years, ARIS has been a key component of retaining and developing the skills, facilities and knowledge base we are proud to offer here at NNL, enabling us to contribute to highly valuable national and international projects. For us as scientists, being involved in state-of-the-art research that is both interesting and relevant goes a long way.
If it hadn’t been for the investment in ARIS over the last decade, it is unlikely we would have had the expertise and the facilities we needed to deliver the Advanced Fuel Cycle Programme (AFCP) for government; we wouldn’t have been able to collaborate with the European Space Agency on a new power source for space travel; and we wouldn’t be involved in a lot of the essential Plutonium storage work we are doing with Sellafield Ltd.
One of the things we try to do across our Core Science areas is to look ahead – how do we build our reputation and capabilities now to address future needs, both in the UK and globally? We are currently doing this in ARIS by branching out into other isotopes to see how other materials can be recovered and for what purpose. Exciting and potentially ground-breaking opportunities lie in how they could be used for medical application, which feeds into our Health and Nuclear Medicine Focus Area. ARIS is now enabling us to not only look for these opportunities but also to develop the next generation of experts who will be needed to make them happen.
When it comes to science and technology it can take what feels like a long time for value to be realised. But in order to make sure essential developments do come to fruition, it is vital to keep pushing and innovating the Core Science now. That’s why we are committed to investing in these areas – so that we can keep our people sharp and our facilities world class.”
What collaboration will look like from 2021
In 2020, we set up our very first Virtual Collaboration Centre in partnership with the IAEA, to help advance our sector’s work on Advanced Fuel Cycles. Over the coming years, we will continue to grow the programme by creating more of these collaborative centres.
We are currently in the process of exploring partnership opportunities with other like-minded organisations that share our vision for:
- Advanced Reactors (Clean Energy), building on the new generation plus SMR/AMR technology
- Waste Commissioning (Environmental Restoration)
- UK Nuclear Forensics (Security and Non-Proliferation)
- Medical Radioisotopes (Health and Nuclear Medicine)
