Annual Report

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Growing the network by facilitating
nuclear network meetings, seminars
and an annual academically based
nuclear research conference to share
research challenges, research ideas and
research outputs
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Engaging effectively with UK industry
to ensure research focus and effective
knowledge transfer. This will include
developing links with the Energy
Generation and Supply Knowledge
Transfer Network managed by TWI
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Facilitating access to specialist research
facilities in the UK and overseas
including, for example, the National
Nuclear Laboratory’s Central Laboratory,
Manchester’s Dalton Cumbrian Facility,
the Diamond synchrotron, the Advanced
Test Reactor at INL, etc
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Engaging with the international nuclear
research communities to ensure that
the UK’s strong reputation for academic
research is strengthened through
participation in developing consortia,
especially when biding for international
research funds including EU Framework
programmes. This strategy requires
the network partners to buy in to a
clear vision and to develop supporting
material to be used by all members to
make industry and global players aware
of UK capability and the potential to
make use of our research collateral.
NERC - RATE
CNE Representative: Dr Robert Zimmerman
NERC commissioned a £5 million, five-year
capacity-building research programme - Ra-
93 http://www.imperial.ac.uk/nuclear-engineering
dioactivity And The Environment - with projects
to run between 2013 and 2017. It forms part of
the NERC contribution to the wider RCUK Energy
Programme and falls under NERC’s environment,
pollution and human health strategic
theme.
Source: http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/funded/programmes/rate/
XMAT
CNE Representative: Prof Bill Lee
The development of next-generation ceramic
and ceramic composite materials is vital for
enabling the operation of machinery in extreme
conditions, such as severe chemical and radioactive
environments. A £4.2M EPSRC Programme
Grant was launched in February 2013
to meet this challenge. It is led by Jon Binner
University of Birmingham working with Bill Lee
and Mike Finnis at Imperial College London and
Mike Reece at Queen Mary London. The project
is currently using as its foundation cutting-edge
ceramics and composites developed at these
institutions for nuclear fusion, fission, aerospace
and other applications where resistance
to radiation, oxidation and erosion are needed
at very high temperatures.
Source: http://www.xmat.ac.uk