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CEO’s Introduction

Thank you for taking the time to read our Strategic Plan which sets out how NNL, the UK’s national laboratory for nuclear fission, is benefiting society through nuclear science.

Dr Paul Howarth NNL Chief Executive Officer

In a sector that is characterised by its investment in infrastructure, it may appear incongruous that I begin by emphasising that the most important asset for our future success is our people.

At NNL we are fortunate to be gifted with some of the most creative and inspired scientific experts in our sector, in the world. Everyone in our workforce is here to deliver environmentally and financially sustainable solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges. We combine the decades of expertise of sector veterans, whose science has been at the forefront of nuclear technology over the past 30 years, with an emerging generation of talented and idealistic scientists, engineers and professionals.

This combination of hope and experience, and shared sense of purpose, provides us with the fortitude to maintain and build our distinct identity as the technical authority on nuclear fission; promoting UK skills and interests and solving global challenges.

Across NNL we take seriously our stewardship of a unique set of facilities and capabilities that enable ground-breaking nuclear research and development.

We are leveraging the UK’s rich nuclear heritage to help solve global challenges in four strategic areas: Clean Energy, Health and Nuclear Medicine, Environmental Restoration, and Security and Non-Proliferation. These are the cornerstones of our ambitions, shaping what we deliver for our customers and for UK society, and how we invest in our future.

Across NNL we take seriously our stewardship of a unique set of facilities and capabilities that enable ground-breaking nuclear research and development.

At a time when society is waking up to acting on the environmental crisis our planet faces, it is impossible to overestimate the scale of the challenge ahead for the UK in reaching net zero by 2050. Without nuclear, the UK will not meet this target on time. And without NNL’s work, the UK nuclear sector cannot deliver what is required.

Throughout this plan you will find details of the scale of our necessary ambition and commitment to bringing the UK back to the forefront of global nuclear research and development. We recognise the call set down by the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser for all Public Sector Research Establishments to help drive growth and innovation across the UK; this responsibility is embedded within all we do.

Whether it is accelerating a UK demonstration programme for Advanced Modular Reactors or delivering our first indigenous supply of medical radioisotopes since the 1960s, NNL will be at the forefront of game-changing advances that will help to transform the environment and people’s lives, now and into the future.

And it is our people here at NNL who will be driving this forward, supported by our customers and partners in government, academia and the private sector both in the UK and worldwide.

At a time when society is waking up to acting on the environmental crisis our planet faces, it is impossible to overestimate the scale of the challenge ahead for the UK in reaching net zero by 2050. Without nuclear, the UK will not meet this target on time. And without NNL’s work, the UK nuclear sector cannot deliver what is required.

The North West, which is where all four of our laboratories are located, has long ties to being the engine room of the UK’s energy provision and our approach will bring new, high paid and high-skilled jobs to the area, as well as vast manufacturing and supply chain opportunities.

As we move to a clean energy system that combines renewables with nuclear, our region’s historic achievement continues to shine as a beacon for new nuclear technologies and the hope of a carbon neutral economy to come.

The North West, which is where all four of our laboratories are located, has long ties to being the engine room of the UK’s energy provision and our approach will bring new, high paid and high-skilled jobs to the area, as well as vast manufacturing and supply chain opportunities.

I hope that this document excites you – as it does all of us – about the potential and ambition we have at NNL. As the UK enters a new phase in all our lives – post-Brexit and, we hope, post-Covid-19 – we all need to believe, invest and trust in ourselves and our own abilities and expertise to deliver a better world.

At NNL we have all the evidence of why that trust in us is justified. We look forward to building on this and continuing to develop and promote the UK’s capability as a global leader in the opportunities that nuclear presents.

1.2 The UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory in Numbers