Enhancing the European nuclear competence area

To support the Programme’s objective of maintaining and enhancing the EU’s nuclear competences in the field of nuclear safety, security, safeguards, radioactive waste management and radiation protection, the consortium would implement a comprehensive and sustainable pan-European E&T programme in the areas related to the use of nuclear engineering and technologies, including ionising radiation applications beyond nuclear energy. The action will build upon previously developed activities under Euratom and other EU programmes and complement national efforts when appropriate The project will use results from previously conducted analyses to streamline the effort towards skills and competences needed for safe development of nuclear sector, and gain the EU added value by complementing national educational and training programmes to ensure sufficient and skilled staff is available for the sector. The action should foster a long-term career perspective within the field, considering current job trends and their evolution, and investigating what is needed to make the nuclear sector attractive for talents. Human Resources specialists should be involved in this action. To ensure continuity and avoid duplication, the action should be led by experienced EU actors (cf. ENEN2plus, Skills4Nuclear).

To ensure a robust and diverse talent pool in the nuclear sector, it is essential to spark early interest among pupils and students in nuclear science and technology. The project should propose actions that introduce young learners at different levels, teachers and other staff at educational institutions, and other influential individuals to the wide range of roles within the field, helping them envision a future in the sector. Specific attention should be paid to the category of teachers at all levels, for whom the consortium shall propose and implement targeted activities for each level.

Attracting students, doctoral candidates and workers from other industrial (but not only) sectors shall be another focus of the action. The consortium shall identify best practices and propose activities that increase the attractiveness of nuclear careers, such as internships, technical visits, training programmes and career events.

The action may include specialised education and training in the most demanding competence areas, such as decommissioning, radioactive waste management, radiation protection, SMRs, nuclear safeguards and non-power nuclear applications (c.f. medicine and space), to address current and future skills gaps.

To promote the effective use of the most advanced tools in nuclear education, the project should evaluate the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly Small and Large Language Models (LLM), to support education programmes. The consortium should analyse the efficacy of existing and experimental practices, including assessing possible risks associated with the use of these tools in education, such as the possible inhibition of critical thinking, which is at the basis of learning. The project should propose strategic actions for the safe implementation of advanced digital tools in European nuclear education. This could include but not to be limited to piloting the safe use of AI (including LLM) in education and training contexts, accompanied by evidence-based guidance to ensure that AI supports rather than replaces critical thinking and academic integrity. The action should provide practical templates, case studies and a risk-mitigation of AI-utilisation checklist for European education providers.

The consortium will manage a robust mobility scheme, which will build upon and take lessons learned from previous programmes, leading to improved procedures and reflecting current development and priorities. The scheme shall consider results from conducted assessments and support national/European strategies (such as the Nuclear skills strategy under development in Skills for nuclear project), on one side it shall serve as an essential part of guided career development of highly specialised students and young nuclear professionals in multidisciplinary and multicultural environments, on the other side it shall serve as one of entry points to attract students and workers from other sectors. The scheme shall be prepared in close cooperation between industry, universities, and research institutions, to involve relevant actors at an early stage and achieve synergies. The mobility scheme should be extensive, sustainable and supported with sufficient resources to meet demand.

Building on the work done so far, the project will provide a single entry point website (one-stop shop) for nuclear education and training (E&T) in the EU. The site should encompass European, national and international levels, be comprehensive, and provide access to information about E&T opportunities opportunities at universities and universities of applied sciences as well as vocational ones in the nuclear field. The consortium should elaborate on the governance and funding model, to keep the site updated after the end of the action.

In the context of the scope of this action, the Commission encourages international cooperation and mobility exchange beyond Euratom, particularly with international organisations (such as IAEA ETKM, OECD/NEA NEST[[Nuclear Education, Skills and Technology (NEST) Framework launched by Nuclear Energy Agency (https://www.oecd-nea.org/), aiming at address important gaps in nuclear skills capacity building, knowledge transfer and technical innovation]]) and institutions from third countries with the most advanced nuclear research programmes.

Proposals could pool the necessary financial resources from national (or regional) research programmes with a view to implementing transnational proposals resulting in grants to third parties to implement activities of this action.

Where appropriate, the Commission recommends that consortia use the services of the JRC. The JRC may participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. The JRC would bear the operational costs for its own staff and research infrastructure operational costs. The JRC facilities and expertise are listed in General Annex H of this Work Programme.