Council Decision of 19 December 2011 concerning the specific programme, to be carried out by means of indirect actions, implementing the Framework Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community for nuclear research and training activities (2012-2013) (2012/94/Euratom) (repealed)

I. THEMATIC AREAS OF RESEARCH

I.A Fusion energy research

Overall objective

Developing the knowledge base for, and realising ITER as a major step towards, the creation of prototype reactors for power stations that are safe, sustainable, environmentally responsible, and economically viable.

Activities

1. Realisation of ITER

The Community has a special responsibility within the ITER Organisation as the host of the project and has a leading role, particularly regarding the governance of the ITER International Organisation, management and staffing, plus general technical and administrative support.

Community participation in ITER as a Party will include further contributions to the construction of equipment and installations needed at the ITER site, and to support the project during construction.

The R & D activities in support of ITER construction will be carried out in the Fusion Associations and European industries. They will include the development and testing of components and systems.

2. R & D in preparation of ITER operation

A focused physics and technology programme will aim to consolidate ITER project choices and prepare for the rapid start-up of ITER operation. It will be carried out through coordinated experimental, theoretical and modelling activities using the JET facilities and other relevant experimental and computational devices. It will ensure that Europe has the necessary impact on the ITER project, and will prepare for a strong European role in its exploitation. It will include:

• assessment of specific key technologies for ITER operation through exploitation of the JET Enhancements (ITER-like first wall, heating systems, diagnostics),

• exploration of ITER operating scenarios by means of targeted experiments on JET and other facilities, and coordinated modelling activities.

3. Limited technology activities to prepare for DEMO

Key technologies and materials required for the licensing, construction and operation of the DEMO power plant will be further developed in the Fusion Associations and industry in order to test them in ITER and to position European industry to be able to construct DEMO and develop future fusion power plants. The following activities will be implemented:

• further work by the dedicated project team on the Engineering Validation and Engineering Design Activities to prepare for the construction of the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility, which will be used to test materials for a fusion power station,

• development, irradiation testing and modelling of low activation and radiation-resistant materials; development of the key technologies required for fusion power plant operation, including blankets; conceptual design activities for DEMO, including safety and environmental aspects.

4. R & D activities for the longer term

Building on the activities specifically concerning ITER and DEMO, the specific programme will develop competences and enlarge the knowledge base in fields strategically relevant to future fusion power stations. These research activities will enhance the technical feasibility and economic viability of fusion power. Specific actions under the Framework Programme will include limited activities as follows:

• study of improved concepts for magnetic confinement schemes, including stellarators. Work will concentrate on preparation for the operation of the W7-X stellarator, utilisation of existing devices for expansion of the experimental databases, and appraisal of the future prospects for these configurations,

• experiment, theory and further modelling with the ultimate aim of a comprehensive understanding of reactor-grade fusion plasmas,

• studies of the socio-scientific aspects and economics of fusion power generation, and actions to promote public awareness and understanding of fusion.

5. Human resources, education and training — building the ‘ITER Generation’

Ensuring adequate human resources and a high level of cooperation within the fusion thematic area, both for the immediate and medium term needs of ITER, and for the further development of fusion, will be addressed by:

• support for the mobility of researchers between organisations participating in the specific programme, in order to promote enhanced collaboration and integration of the research activities, and to foster international cooperation,

• high-level training for engineers and researchers at post-graduate and post-doctoral level, including the use of facilities as training platforms, dedicated seminars and workshops, and fostering cooperation between higher education institutions.

6. Infrastructures

The realisation of ITER in Europe, within the international framework provided by the ITER Organisation, will add to the new research infrastructures with a strong European dimension.

7. Technology transfer, industry involvement and innovation

ITER will require a new and more flexible organisational structure to enable the resulting innovation and technological progress to be swiftly transferred to industry, thus enabling European industry to become more competitive. This will be addressed by:

• promotion of innovation and exchange of know-how with related universities, research institutes and industry, including appropriate interaction with ITER organisation and the European Joint Undertaking Fusion for Energy (F4E) (giving equal opportunity to industry partners to participate, according to the relevant Union procurement rules),

• encouragement for the generation of patents,

• promotion of the Fusion Industry Innovation Forum, which will develop a fusion technology roadmap and human resource development initiatives, with an emphasis on innovation and potential for providing new products and services.

I.B Nuclear fission, safety and radiation protection

Overall objective

Establishing a sound scientific and technical basis in order to accelerate practical developments for the safer management of long-lived radioactive waste, enhancing in particular the safety, while contributing to resource efficiency and cost-effectiveness of nuclear energy and ensuring a robust and socially acceptable system of protection of man and the environment against the effects of ionising radiation.

Activities

Indirect actions in nuclear fission, safety and radiation protection will be undertaken in five principal areas of activity detailed below. In the light of the reinforced emphasis on nuclear safety contributing to reorientation of nuclear research, the areas of installation safety, radiation protection (including medical uses) and risk assessment shall receive the greatest possible attention. There are important links with research in the Seventh Framework Programme of the Union adopted by Decision No 1982/2006/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007-2013)(1), in particular in the areas of energy, European standards, education and training, environmental protection, health, material science, governance, common infrastructures, security and safety culture. International cooperation will be encouraged across many of the research activities, with special focus on safety of nuclear installations, and this will be in collaboration with the relevant technical and stakeholder forums described in the rationale for nuclear fission, safety and radiation protection activities in point I.B of Annex I to Decision 2012/93/Euratom.

1. Management of ultimate radioactive waste

Engineering studies and demonstration of geological repository designs in order to prepare implementation while ensuring operational safety. Studies contributing to a better understanding of wastes and their behaviour over time, development of robust methodologies for performance and safety assessment, investigation of governance and societal issues related to public acceptance and other activities to underpin the development of a common European view on the main issues related to waste management from discharge to disposal.

2. Reactor systems

While respecting the overall objective, research to underpin the safe operation of all reactor systems (including fuel cycle facilities) in use in Europe or, to the extent necessary in order to maintain broad nuclear safety expertise in Europe, those reactor types which may be used in the future, focusing exclusively on safety aspects. This includes plant life assessment and management, safety culture (minimising the risk of human and organisational error), advanced safety assessment methodologies, numerical simulation tools, instrumentation and control, and prevention and mitigation of severe accidents, with associated activities to optimise knowledge management and maintain competences.

Activities include basic and key cross-cutting research activities (such as material science)(2) and, while focusing exclusively on safety aspects, the study of future reactors and all aspects of the fuel cycle such as partitioning and transmutation.

3. Radiation protection

Activities in this area will focus on:

• Better quantification of the risks to health for low and protracted exposures, including individual variability, through epidemiological studies and an improved understanding of the mechanisms through cellular and molecular biology research.

• Enhance the safety and efficacy of medical uses of radiation through new technological developments and achieving a proper balance between the benefits and risks of such uses.

• Improve the coherence and integration of emergency and post-accident management in Europe through the development of common tools and strategies and demonstrate their efficacy in operational environments.

• In other areas, national research activities will be more effectively integrated as considered necessary.

4. Infrastructures

Where there is clear European added value especially in order to establish critical mass, support for the design, refurbishment, construction and/or operation of key research infrastructures required in any of the above thematic areas, including facilitating the appropriate access to existing and future infrastructures by individual research workers and research teams.

5. Human resources and training(3)

Coordination of national programmes and provision for general training needs in nuclear science and technology through a range of instruments, including those with shorter-term results and of a competitive nature, as part of general support to human resources in all thematic domains. Includes support for training courses and training networks, and measures to make the sector more attractive to young scientists and engineers and to improve coordination between the Union educational institutions in order to ensure qualifications are equivalent across all Member States.

(1)

OJ L 412, 30.12.2006, p. 1.

(2)

It is understood that the ERC is responsible for supporting frontier research in all areas of science and technology.

(3)

It is understood that responsibility for mobility of researchers between all areas of science and technology rests with the People Programme under the Union Framework Programme.