The Nuclear Research Centre (NRC) is a joint venture between the University of Bristol and the University of Oxford, creating a centre of national and international importance in nuclear research.
The centre aims to provide leading edge and innovative research to support the design and safe operation of current and future generations of nuclear systems.
A team of world-class scientists, engineers and external experts will support future developments in nuclear safety. The centre will also build on existing partnerships with EDF Energy, Rolls-Royce and AWE.
Professor David Smith, Director of NRC Bristol and Professor of Engineering Materials at the University of Bristol, said: “With a community of over 100 world-class people in nuclear research the new centre will ensure the continuity of the nuclear community and safeguard expert knowledge. The centre will also provide leading edge research to support the nuclear business community.”
Professor Chris Grovenor, Director of NRC Oxford and Professor of Materials at the University of Oxford, added: “We aspire to build on the complementary expertise in the two universities, and the breadth of our activities in nuclear science, engineering and social science, to make the NRC a serious contributor to assuring a nuclear future for the UK.”
The centre, which has three themes: nuclear futures, advanced research and applied research, will focus on work for both fundamental research and allow emerging topics to be tackled.
The work of the two universities, to advance the fundamental understanding and applications of nuclear research, is key to the NRC’s future contribution to industry, government and the research community.
The centre is based on a large and active research community at the two universities with direct experience in areas of the nuclear sector, such as:
- helping to solve problems in the operation of nuclear facilities;
- advancing the thinking on technical operations and future research needs;
- developing the skills needed for a new generation of scientists and engineers who will work in the nuclear facilities of the future;
- a research platform to help government and the regulatory authorities develop policy and make informed technical decisions;
- maintaining the UK’s reputation for the quality of its international research, partnerships and competitiveness in the nuclear sector.
As well as a research focus, the centre will develop new skills and provide high quality graduates and postdoctoral researchers for the future needs of UK industry.