BENEFICIARIES

Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is a higher education and research organisation. KIT was established on 1^st of October, 2009 from a merger of Universität Karlsruhe and Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH.

KIT-INE (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology-Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung) is the institute leading the scientific-technical work in the project. Since many years, KIT-INE is one of the driving organizations for development of the geochemically based long-term safety assessment for radioactive waste disposal. The institute is equipped with hot cells and provides radiochemical and adequate analytical methods. The competence of KIT-INE covers basic actinide thermodynamics, behaviour of waste forms and barrier materials as well as of long-lived radionuclides in the near- and far-field, mobilization/retention of radionuclides in all media considered to host nuclear waste repositories in Europe and hydrology and rock mechanics. In the area of the disposal Safety Case it provides support in various national advisory bodies, such as the national disposal safety commission.

AMPHOS 21 CONSULTING S.L. (AMPHOS21)

Amphos 21 Consulting, S.L. is an SME that provides scientific and technical consultancy services to address a range of environmental issues mainly associated with the management and disposal of radioactive and hazardous wastes, contaminated groundwater and soils as well as environmental planning and management. Within the present field, the main output is expert advice to national radioactive waste management agencies and regulators. To this aim the SME counts with a team of highly qualified professional specialized in scientific and technical disciplines related with the management of radioactive wastes.

JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE – INSTITUTE FOR TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS (JRC-ITU)

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is a Directorate General of the European Commission. It includes various specialized laboratories and offers unique facilities to complement the European national research laboratories, authorities and industries. In the case of the Institute for Transuranium Elements (JRC-ITU) in Karlsruhe, Germany, which is sited within the premises of the German Karlsruhe Institut für Technologie (KIT Campus Nord), it is the centre-point within the JRC for work with highly radioactive material. The activities carried out at JRC cover different aspects related to the nuclear fuel cycle, from fuel fabrication to post-irradiation examination in hot cell to storage and disposal studies, nuclear safeguards, security and forensics. The JRC-ITU with about 300 staff located in Karlsruhe, has more than 45 years of experience in the nuclear field. To foster the transfer of knowledge, the Institute encourages outside scientists to join its work through secondment and grants.

JRC-ITU has been and is currently involved in several international programs on nuclear waste storage and disposal issues, and collaborates with research centres and agencies worldwide. The involvement with European Agencies is materialized through the active participation and association to the European Technology Platform on Nuclear Waste Disposal (IGD-TP).

FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JUELICH GMBH

JÜLICH pursues cutting-edge interdisciplinary research on solving the grand challenges facing society in the fields of health, energy and the environment and also information technologies. In combination with its two key competencies – physics and supercomputing – work at JÜLICH focuses on both, long-term, fundamental and multidisciplinary contributions to science and technology as well as on specific technological applications. With a staff of about 4400, JÜLICH – a member of the Helmholtz Association – is one of the largest research centres in Europe. The FIRST-Nuclides proposed work will be performed in the "Institute for Energy and Climate Research, Nuclear Safety and Reactor Technology (IEK-6)" , which is mainly involved in R&D concerning the safety of nuclear reactors and installations of the fuel cycle, nuclear waste management (characterization, treatment, disposal and partitioning/transmutation). Methods, data and experimental results are supplied for further development of the safety in these areas.

PAUL SCHERRER INSTITUT (PSI)

The Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) is a multi-disciplinary research centre for natural sciences and technology. In the frame of national and international collaboration with universities, other research institutes and industry, PSI is strongly involved in research related to solid state physics, material sciences, elementary particle physics, life sciences, nuclear and non-nuclear energy research, and energy-related ecology.

With respect to nuclear energy, PSI has a unique position in Switzerland. This is due to its heavy infrastructure, namely the Hot Laboratory with the hot cells, well equipped and shielded zones for work and research on radioactive material, as well as the PROTEUS facility for reactor physics investigations. In addition, the nuclear energy and safety department (NES) takes advantage of PSI’s large facilities, such as the synchrotron radiation source (Swiss Light Source, SLS) and the Swiss Spallation Neutron Source (SINQ). Based on this infrastructure and the know-how of its collaborators NES is involved in three main topics of research: safety of currently operating light-water reactors, safety characteristics of future reactor concepts and related fuel cycles, and long-term safety of deep geological repositories for nuclear wastes of all kind.

STUDIECENTRUM VOOR KERNENERGIE (SCK•CEN)

SCK•CEN is one of the largest research centres in Belgium, with more than 600 employees. SCK•CEN is a Foundation of Public Utility and has the assignment to maintain a centre of excellence on nuclear energy and ionizing radiations. As such it has a long-standing experience in research with regard to safety of nuclear installations, safe treatment and disposal of nuclear waste, protection of man and environment against radiation, management of fissile and other strategic materials. Within this research area, the Expert Group Waste & Disposal examines the possibilities for surface and deep disposal of radioactive waste. The various research units cover the entire safety research chain, studying the waste forms, their behaviour upon disposal, the behaviour of the released radionuclides, and the integration of data and models by performance assessment studies. For the experimental studies, SCK•CEN is equipped with laboratories allowing the testing of radioactive materials, including hot cells for research on materials and fuels used in present and future reactor systems.

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE (CNRS)

The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) is represented by the SUBATECH lab which is a joint research unit (UMR 6457) operated by the Ecole des Mines and the University of Nantes and by the IN2P3/CNRS. The mission of SUBATECH is basic subatomic physics and associated technologies: Focus of the research and teaching programme is nuclear physics, medicine, environment and waste management. Its radiochemistry group is one of the few research groups worldwide having simultaneously experience in the field of high level radioactive waste forms like glass and spent fuel, performance of engineered barriers such as clay and concrete and the retention of radionuclides in the host rock of geological disposals. Moreover, SUBATECH is implied into a new cyclotron facility called ARRONAX which can provide proton or ion beam.

FUNDACIÓ CTM CENTRE TECNOLÒGIC (CTM)

Fundació CTM Centre Tecnològic is a non-profit foundation located in Manresa (Barcelona) which has very close links with the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) since 1996. The CTM shares human and material resources with the UPC and UPC will work as a third party of CTM. The centre’s aim is to efficiently contribute to the technological development of companies and improve their ability to compete economically through the provision of specialised services and the execution of R&D projects. The team of 130 professionals works for companies and public institutions on Environmental technology, Materials technology, Support to innovation and Energy. CTM's Environmental Technology Unit specializes in monitoring of and remediation technologies for contaminated soils and water (particularly using bio-remediation and monitored natural attenuation), water quality (including membrane technologies), waste management (including industrial ecology), actinide research, improvement of industrial processes and risk assessment for human health and ecosystems.

CENTRE FOR ENERGY RESEARCH, HUNGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES

The Centre for Energy Research was established in January 2012 on the basis of two former independent institutions, Institute of Isotopes and the KFKI Atomic Energy Research Institute. The Centre is part of the a research network of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The mission of the Centre for Energy Research is to perform research and development in the field of nuclear science and technology for facilitating the adoption and the safe use of nuclear technology in Hungary, to participate in international research efforts aiming at the establishing a new generation of nuclear power plants and closing the fuel cycle, to study the interaction of radiation with matter (including neutrons, gamma-rays and electrons), and to do isotope and nuclear chemistry, chemical analysis by nuclear methods, radiography, radiation chemistry, radiation protection and nuclear security, surface chemistry and renewable energy research.

STUDSVIK NUCLEAR AB (STUDSVIK)

STUDSVIK is a leading supplier of services to the international nuclear industry. The company has more than fifty years of experience of nuclear technology and services in a radiological environment. Studsvik operates in a high-growth market and provides qualified services through four Strategic Business Areas (SBAs): Operating Efficiency and Safety, Service and Maintenance, Waste Treatment and Decommissioning. Studsvik has 1,100 employees in 7 countries. The group of nuclear fuel chemistry has more than 30 years research experience on spent fuel leaching and nuclear environmental chemistry.