Skip to main content
European Commission logo print header

SNETP Management, Implementation, Liaison and Evolution

Final Report Summary - SMILE (SNETP Management, Implementation, Liaison and Evolution)

Executive Summary:
SNETP, the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform is, at present, the only European Technology Platform working in the nuclear sector, officially recognised as an ETP by the European Commission. SNETP gathers European stakeholders involved in the research, development, deployment and operation of nuclear fission technology: industry (power operators, vendors and technology/engineering providers), research & technology organisations, universities, technical safety organisations, service providers, non‐governmental organisations, SMEs and associations.
The Platform, which at the time of its foundation counted 35 organisations, is composed today by 120 members from 21 countries and is still regularly growing.
The purpose of the SMILE project was to ensure the secretariat tasks and adequate support to the growing requirements of SNETP, in particular to its Technology Working Groups for the implementation of the three pillars of the Vision Report.
The objectives of the “SMILE” project for SNETP were the following:
• Management support: provide secretariat support to the Platform and its governing bodies, so as to ensure efficient management
processes
• Implementation: support the activities of the Working Groups, with secretariat and communication assistance
• Liaison and communication: ensure maximum impact and dissemination of the activities of the SNETP and of its Working Groups,
by ensuring continuous interaction with several stakeholders (SET-Plan, EC, ENEF, ENSREG…)
• Evolution: monitor and plan further the SNETP activities by maintaining a consolidated roadmap of the planned RD&D

The SMILE project ensured continuity after the “SNETP-Office” project providing additional support to the activities of the Technology Working Groups through logistical and secretarial support:
- Set-up of a dedicated office and staff (in Paris and Brussels),
- Upgrade, maintenance and content management of the SNETP public and private websites,
- Professional publication and distribution of documents produced by the Working Groups Support in the organisation of all meetings
of the Platform bodies (management bodies and Working Groups),
- Strengthening of the communication aspects of SNETP: posters, leaflets, newsletters, factsheets, reports,
- Representation of SNETP in selected international events
- Day-to-day secretarial duties
Project Context and Objectives:
Context
The main objective of the SMILE project was to ensure an efficient continuation of the process initiated when SNETP was launched in 2007, to continue to federate European stakeholders in order to define a common vision and strategy for the development of safe nuclear fission in Europe. This objective has since the launch of the platform acquired another dimension, with the EU’s Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) confirming nuclear fission as a one of the low-carbon energy technologies to be supported.
During the period going from June 2011 to May 2014, the Platform witnessed several achievements in organisational and strategic terms. The Platform’s previous Strategic Research Agenda was updated in 2013 into the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). SNETP then organised the coordination of its implementation, the Platform ensuring the consolidated prioritisation and coordinated implementation of the European R&D required to achieve the ambitious goals of nuclear fission development, in particular with respect to the SET-Plan.
Beginning of 2012 saw the achievement of a major SNETP milestone: the launch of NUGENIA, the NUclear GENeration II & III Association, as an international non-profit association based in Brussels. SNETP gave a mandate to NUGENIA to act as the body in charge of coordinating at EU level the implementation of the R&D within its technical scope: Generation II&III reactor R&D as described in the SRIA, and related cross-cutting topics.
The continuous collaboration with other initiatives (such as SETIS, ENEF, ESFRI, GIF, EERA, IAEA and others) has been pursued by the daily work of the platform’s secretariat. In particular, the relations with the IGD-TP (Technology Platform on geological disposal) were strengthened through the constitution of a common working group.
The continuous support to the three working groups was guaranteed during the SMILE project life, organising the meetings, following up on the decisions/actions and serving as main entry point for the membership application and request of information.
Furthermore, SNETP has provided inputs to the European Commission, as well as feedback on the publication of key policy documents. The platform also established a Task Force after the accident which took place in Fukushima in March 2011, issuing a specific report on the “Identification of Research Areas in Response to the Fukushima Accident”.

The SMILE project was structured along 4 different Work Packages. The first one (WP1) deals with the Platform management support. Work Package 2 deals with the implementation support, monitoring and planning for the 3 working groups, while Work Package 3 is dedicated to the SNETP communication, General Assembly, as well as the SNETP participation in a selection of international events. Finally, Work Package 4 deals with project management.

WP1 Platform management support
The general objective of WP1 was to provide support for efficient management of the SNETP and its activities. The permanent secretariat ensured continuous support to SNETP members, governance bodies and stakeholders.
This Work Package delivered the following activities:
- Continuous secretariat duties (platform correspondence, membership management, maintenance of contact information, etc.) 25 new
members joined during the period, taking SNETP from 97 to 122 members.
- Organisation & support of SNETP management meetings: the project supported the organisation of 6 Governing Board meetings and 11
Executive Committee meetings during the period (June 2011 – May 2014).
- Management of the Platform private web platform for document sharing
- An additional task was the execution of a self-assessment, which successfully led to the renewal of the official ETP label by the European
Commission

WP2 Implementation support, monitoring and planning
Work Package 2 aimed at supporting the implementation of the SNETP activities, by assisting the tasks of its Working Groups and generally monitoring the implementation of these activities, sharing the information with Platform members and stakeholders. In WP2 the following activities have been carried out:
- Support to the work of the 3 Technology Working Groups: secretariat and coordination support, liaison with SET-Plan activities (incl.
SETIS), communication
o 5 ESNII Task Force meetings, 3 ESNII Executive Board meeting, 1 ESNII Conference, 4 NC2I Task Force meetings, 13 NUGENIA
Executive Committee meetings, 1 NUGENIA General Assembly, took place during the period.
- Maintenance of the SNETP Implementation Plan(s)
- Support to the ETKM Working Group, the SRIA Editorial Board, the Fukushima Task Force and the IGD-TP/SNETP Common Working
Group
- Development of a visual roadmap to highlight the role of Euratom projects in the implementation of the SRIA
- General monitoring of the progress of SNETP, and particular support to the activities carried out in the consolidation of the SET-Plan
Integrated Research Roadmap.


WP3 Communication
The general purpose of Work Package 3 was to maximise the visibility of SNETP and the impact of the messages it conveys. Several actions were taken in this field:
- Technical maintenance and content management of the SNETP public website, and upgrade to a new version at the end of SMILE
o The website was continuously updated with information on the SNETP development and publications. It counts approx. 10,000 visits per
year.
- Publications (documents and other communication material)
o Publications:
- “Identification of Research Areas in Response to the Fukushima Accident” (issued in March 2011)
 3 SNETP Positions Papers, namely:
the one on the “EU Multi-annual Financial Framework 2014-2020”, issued in January 2012
the one on “EU Energy Roadmap 2050”, issued in January 2014
the one on the EC Communication “A policy framework for climate and energy”, issued in March 2014,
o Newsletters:
• the Newsletter nr. 9 (Nov 2011),
• Newsletter nr.10 (June 2012),
• Newsletter nr 11 (June 2013)
o Newsflashes:
• Newsflash nr 1 - SNETP Member Directory – Opening (information on the online workspace available for SNETP members)
• Newsflash nr 2 - 100th member and 3rd General Assembly, news from the working groups, recent news and upcoming events
• Newsflash nr 3 - results of the 3rd General Assembly, news from the working groups, recent news and upcoming events
• Newsflash nr 4 - NUGENIA Launch, management meetings, news from the working groups, recent news and upcoming events
• Newsflash nr 5 - ESNII Conference, SNETP Open Day, ENEF 7th Plenary Meeting, news from the working groups, recent news and
upcoming events
• Newsflash nr 6 - Save the date (SNETP General Assembly nr 4), publication of the SRIA, Results for Euratom FP7 Call 2013, Report of
the SNETP Fukushima Task Group, renewal of the SNETP Governing Board, news from the working groups, recent news and upcoming
events
• Newsflash nr 7 - Videos of the 4th SNETP General Assembly now online, renewal of the SNETP Governing Board, news from the working
groups, recent news and upcoming events
- Monitoring of international developments related to nuclear R&D policy
- Participation in selected international events
o The Secretariat participated, during the SMILE project implementation, in 18 different European and international events. In most of them
the pop-up stand was deployed and the key publications distributed (SRA 2009 and SRIA 2013, Deployment Strategy, ESNII brochure,
SNETP Newsletters and others).
- Organisation of 2 SNETP General Assemblies during the implementation of the project,
o The 3rd General Assembly in Warsaw, on 29-November 2011, with almost 300 registered participants
o The 4th General Assembly in Vilnius, 18 October 2013, with almost 100 registered participants

WP4 Project Management
The general aims of WP4 was to guarantee the respect of the project’s objectives, its overall internal coherence, time schedule, issuance of deliverables, and obligations of knowledge dissemination. WP 4 was placed under the responsibility of the coordinator.
This Work Package achieved the following activities:
- administrative and financial management of the Grant Agreement
- efficient progress monitoring and reporting
- organisation of 13 Secretariat meetings in the period
- good communication in the consortium

Project Results:
Overview

During the period, SNETP underwent significant evolution with a number of results:
- A growth of the membership in the SNETP: the Platform counts today 120 members (and new applications pending)
- The publication of 3 strategic documents:
o The Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda;
o The report on “Identification of Research Areas in Response to the Fukushima accident”;
o and the Annex to the SRA on Molten Salt Reactor Systems;
- The release of several other publications and periodic newsletters;
- The update of the Platform’s organisational structure;
- The organisation of the 3rd and 4th General Assemblies;
- The participation in a number of selected events.

Support to SNETP’s working groups
SNETP’s core mission is to prioritise, organise and monitor the RD&D required to achieve the ambitious goals of nuclear fission development, in particular with respect to the SET-Plan. The Secretariat provided support to the following Working Groups.
Cross-cutting groups
The SNETP Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) was released on the occasion of the European Commission’ symposium on Benefits and Limitations of Nuclear Fission for a Low Carbon Economy on 26-27 February 2013. The release of the SRIA represented the culmination of a long process which had involved (1) contributions from some 50 participants within SNETP, followed by editorial work by the Secretariat, (2) a public consultation and (3) a final internal review from and approval by the SNETP Governing Board.
SNETP’s Fukushima Task Force was created just after the accident in March 2011. The Governing Board decided to set up a dedicated task force, to assess the lessons learned from the Fukushima accident in order to identify appropriate adaptation of SNETP’s work programme. The Task Force has produced a report: “Identification of Research Areas in Response to the Fukushima Accident”. A possible update may be decided a few years later.
The ETKM Working Group’s main objective is to recommend a future framework for nuclear Education and Training (E&T) and Knowledge Management (KM) at European level, in support of the SRIA, the DS and of the needs of the nuclear fission R&D sector. The group set up a new action plan for 2012-2013 with the objectives of reviewing the status and perspectives of the recommendations given in the main international reports of E&T, identifying eventual obstacles and developing practical steps to overcome those obstacles for recommendations considered most significant for improving the availability of relevant human resources in the EU. The action plan, approved by the SNETP Governing Board in October 2012, consolidated all the recommendations present in recent international reports on E&T and defined actions to be implemented.

Technology groups
The first technology pillar, NUGENIA (NUclear GEneration II & III Association) was officially launched in March 2012 as an international association mandated by SNETP. Its main role is to help develop R&D supporting safe, reliable, and competitive second and third generation nuclear systems. By May 2014, NUGENIA has 96 members from 20 countries (including non-EU countries: South Korea, US, Russia, Switzerland).
The European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative (ESNII) was officially launched in November 2010 under the SET-Plan. ESNII promotes advanced reactors with the objective of resource preservation and the minimization of radioactive waste, with a Concept Paper presenting its four projects: ASTRID, MYRRHA, ALFRED and ALLEGRO. In March 2013, ESNII published its 2013-2015 Implementation Plan. By May 2014 the ESNII Task Force counted 27 members from 13 countries.
The Nuclear Cogeneration Industrial Initiative (NC2I) aims at demonstrating an innovative and competitive energy solution for low-carbon cogeneration of process heat and electricity based on nuclear energy. NC2I was introduced at the SET-Plan Conference in November 2011. In 2011-2012, a group of industrial heat users manifested its interest in High Temperature Reactor (HTR) technology. International cooperation is being organised, in particular with the signature in 2014 of a Memorandum of Understanding with its U.S. counterpart, the NGNP Industry Alliance.

A functional SNETP Secretariat
During the project the secretariat has performed the following activities:

Platform secretariat
• Acted as entry point for SNETP: the Coordinator acted as entry point for parties seeking information on the SNETP, contacting other
Secretariat or SNETP management members whenever required
• Provided continuous support to Platform members and stakeholders
• Managed membership applications
• Updated the list of members with contact information
• Performed miscellaneous secretarial duties

Platform organisation
In addition to the planned activities, the secretariat has carried out the following:
• Updated the Organisation Document for SNETP
• Organised the renewal process for the Governing Board (September - December 2012)
• Prepared scenarios for the future evolution of SNETP

Interactions
• Attended several workshops organised by the European Commission with European Technology Platforms, to prepare for the future
framework period (2014-2020)
• Organised interactions with ENEF
• Maintained interactions with the Secretariat of the IGD-TP (Implementing Geological Disposal Technology Platform) in particular by
participation in the IGDTP Exchange Forum
• Facilitated communication between the KIC InnoEnergy and the SNETP Executive Committee to present their activities and analyse the
potential interactions.

Potential Impact:
The SMILE project was dedicated to providing the most efficient support to the SNETP operation, with logistical organisation of meetings and events, continuous secretariat and management support, professional publications, support to the implementation of the Working Groups, and promotion of SNETP. The project supported the SNETP by allowing good communication within and beyond the Platform. Most of the SNETP activities were performed with the support and active participation of SMILE consortium partners.

Overall, it can be considered that SMILE acted as an enabler for the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform to reach the objectives of collectively defining and implementing a European vision for nuclear fission research and development.

List of Websites:
Website address: http://www.snetp.eu
Coordinator: Vincent Chauvet, vincent.chauvet@lgi-consulting.com

Related documents