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Introduction from our CEO and CSTO
At NNL, as the UK’s national laboratory for nuclear fission, we are home to skills, knowledge and facilities of strategic national importance.
But this role is not simply about maintaining the status quo; it requires ongoing innovation, research and leadership to sustain our scientific expertise.
Dr Paul Howarth NNL Chief Executive Officer
Dr Fiona Rayment NNL Chief Science and Technology Officer
Back in 2015, NNL established a Science and Technology Strategy to guide us in improving our technical capabilities, strengthening our reputation and ensuring we create value, both for our customers and the nuclear sector as a whole.
Six years on, the world is not the place it was.
Over 120 countries have pledged to achieve net zero by 2050 and in the UK this commitment is legally binding. The UK government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has set down clear goals to tackle climate change and turn the UK into a science superpower.
The place for nuclear within this is clear, as a key component of BEIS’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. So at NNL, we have been undergoing our own evolution in order to help enable what is required.
As part of our new mission, nuclear science to benefit society, we have developed four Focus Areas which all address important global challenges: Clean Energy, Environmental Restoration, Health and Nuclear Medicine and Security and Non-Proliferation. These are areas we are working on now, and on which we will collaborate with the entire nuclear sector – and beyond – to deliver successfully for the UK.
To support our aims in each of these areas, we have created a new Science and Technology Agenda for the next five years. It is made up of three key pillars – Core Science, Innovation and Strategic Research – all of which are underpinned by Collaboration; a balanced portfolio that ensures we are addressing current as well as future needs.
We hope that this Agenda, in combination with our Strategic Plan, illustrates how committed we are to delivering meaningful and sustainable change.
It is through our ongoing commitment to science and technology that we will continue to serve our customers, our partners and our nation, and cement the UK’s position as a global thought leader in nuclear technology.