Organsation of the European Research Community on Nuclear Materials

Project Information

ORIENT-NM

Grant agreement ID: 899997

DOI

10.3030/899997

Project closed

EC signature date 18 May 2020

Start date 1 October 2020

End date 31 March 2023

Funded under

• Euratom

Total cost

€ 1 756 380,00

EU contribution

€ 1 099 588,75

Coordinated by

CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONES ENERGETICAS MEDIOAMBIENTALES Y TECNOLOGICAS
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ORIENT-NM (Organsation of the European Research Community on Nuclear Materials)

Reporting period: 2022-04-01 to 2023-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

ORIENT-NM answers the Euratom Work Programme 2019-20 call NFRP-08: “Towards
joint European effort in area of nuclear materials”, in which the European Commission asks to explore the possibility
of establishing a European Joint Programme (EJP) on nuclear materials, by designing a
complete plan for such EJP. In Horizon Europe the EJP instrument has been replaced by the Co-funded European Partnership (CEP), so in what follows the latter term will be used.

Accordingly, the overall objectives of ORIENT-NM are:

1. To produce a strategic research agenda (SRA) for materials for all nuclear fission reactor generations, projected until 2040, with special focus on a plan for the first 5 years. This SRA is meant to be consistent with national programmes and industrial needs, to be attractive for all MS, irrespective of their nuclear energy policy, and to be consistent with the availability of suitable infrastructures.

2. To elaborate an efficient CEP governance and legal structure, with attention for decision-making processes, intellectual property issues, promotion of innovation and analysis of potentially available financial (and human) resources, as well as an implementation scheme caring among others for quality assurance, SRA updating, knowledge and data management; all this considering two different possible scenarios, i.e. “internal calls” or “macroproject”, depending on the resources that are actually available.

3. To identify appropriate ways of interactions between the CEP and other bodies or initiatives that bear connections with nuclear materials (stake-holders), including international organisations, standardisation bodies, technical safety organisations, fusion and non-nuclear energy communities, as well as, obviously, industry, often represented by associations, while addressing the issue of a coordinated use of nuclear materials infrastructures, seeking for complementarity and consistency with relevant existing initiatives.

All of the above is done in close dialogue with Member States and European
Commission, as well as all other stake-holders, in order to meet their requirements and
expectations from a CEP on nuclear materials and raise the interest of identified research
owners and research managers, by highlighting the added value of such CEP.
The key outcomes will be:
A. Critical assessment of the added value of a CEP on nuclear materials
B. Vision Paper and Strategic Research Agenda (until 2040)
C. Defined structure, governance, legal aspects and implementation of the EJP on nuclear
materials (taking into account its specificities)
D. Set of protocols for the interaction of the EJP with international organisations,
standardisation bodies, technical safety organisations and regulatory bodies, fusion and
non-nuclear energy communities, and infrastructure managers.
Plans for a coordinated use of nuclear materials infrastructures will be made.
The documents listed under A, C and D will expand, complement and integrate the SRA.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

A. The national programmes of EU member states and associated countries concerning nuclear energy have been analysed in order to identify relevant needs connected with materials, their expectations from a European partnership on nuclear materials have been also received through questionnaires and especially at the first workshop. All this provides the bases to assess the added value that a partnership on nuclear materials can bring to all of them.
B. Vision Paper and Strategic Research Agenda (until 2040): The first version of the vision paper has been drafted, released and distributed for comments; the first version of the SRA has been also released as peer-reviewed published paper (https://doi.org/10.3390/en15051845). The SRA needs extension to materials beyond structural ones and fuels, as well as the relevant planning, but it does analyse needs and identifies goals.
C. The structure of existing EJPs/CEPs has been analysed and the one proposed for the partnership on nuclear materials will be a fairly standard one, although it will include industrial guidance towards innovation. A more detailed structure is under preparation, while several specific legal aspects have been analysed. The type of partnership that has been selected is the co-funded one.
D. Sets of protocols for the interaction of the EJP with stakeholders: contacts have been taken with virtually all stake-holders and possible interactions have been discussed. In some cases draft protocols have been already produced.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

A. Critical assessment of the added value of a CEP on nuclear materials: this assessment will take into account also socio-economic considerations and will act as guide for the technical strategic documents in their final version.
B. Vision Paper and Strategic Research Agenda (until 2040): these document identify and explain grand goals around which virtually all MS/AC of the EU can find their interest and benefit, with a strong orientation towards innovation and sustainability in the nuclear energy field.
C. Defined structure, governance, legal aspects and implementation of the CEP on nuclear materials: the governance and structure is thought to be simple and allow smooth functioning and implementation of the partnership, again taking into account expicitly the orientation towards innovation.
D. Set of protocols for the interaction of the CEP with stake-holders: they will make sure that the partenrship does not act in isolation, but, on the contrary, benefits from the interaction with bodies that share interests and goals, with a view to optimally use available resources and avoiding duplication and redundancy.

ORIENT-NM consortium and funding