Scoping Paper for the Euratom Work Programme 2018 and outlook for

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1 Scoping Paper for the Euratom Work Programme 2018 and outlook for Draft 6 October Introduction 2018 is the final year of implementation of the current Euratom Research and Training Programme. The next Euratom Work Programme will therefore be limited to one year (WP2018).The list of priorities presented in this document should be considered as preliminary since the interim evaluation of the current Euratom programme is still on-going and the findings of the Ofusion mid-term review still need to be fully analysed. In addition, the deadline for the 2 nd biennial call (2016/17) is on the 5 th October However, the main inputs, both completed and pending, needed for the WP2018 strategic programming process are considered to be the following: Fission: analysis of the outcome of the 2014/15 call for proposals, plus the analysis following the results of the 2016/17 call (expected in December 2016). Only then will there be a full picture of gaps to be addressed in WP2018 in order to fulfil the objectives set by the Council Regulation. Fusion: analysis of the outcome of the Ofusion midterm review and of the implementation of 2014 and 2015 Ofusion work plans (available soon). Cross-cutting research: Analysis of where Euratom and Horizon 2020 themes can work together to address societal challenges e.g. medical applications of radiation (discussion on-going). Stakeholder consultation: This will be conducted in the last quarter of 2016 as part of the interim evaluation of the Euratom Programme in preparation for the extension The results of this exercise and of a study commissioned under the procurement contract with Ernst & Young will be an important input in the drafting of WP2018. International cooperation (INCO) will remain an important dimension, built in all thematic areas of fission and fusion research, in line with the strategic pillar of "Open to the World" research and Innovation policy. The first consultation with the Euratom Programme Committee is expected in October 2016, to be followed by a second consultation in early Status of the implementation of Euratom Work Programmes 2014/15 and 2016/17 - Regarding fission research, more than 70% of resources provided in WP2014/15 and WP2016/17 has been assigned to 3 main fields in fission research, namely nuclear safety, radiation protection and waste management. An annex shows the outcome of the first fission call launched under WP2014/15 and the topics in the on-going call under WP2016/17 in relation to the specific objectives set by the Council Regulation 1314/ Euratom is at the forefront of Horizon 2020 regarding implementation of the new instruments in the area of joint programming. In 2014, the Euratom successfully pioneered the introduction of the European Joint Programme (EJP) in fusion energy research on the basis of a co-fund grant. Since then, Euratom introduced in 2015 an EJP in the field of radiation protection (CONCERT) a major effort in order to achieve new breakthroughs in radiation protection research. - Results of the first fission call (2014/15) show a very high success rate (42% for proposals above threshold) - i.e. almost every second proposal received Euratom funding. The budget was allocated separately in each of the 14 call topics, with significant competition in three major 1

2 topics in the area of safety research. In order to further strengthen scientific excellence, the second biennial call (2016/17, on-going) is based on a different approach. A single ranking list has now been introduced in each of the main fission research fields (nuclear safety, radiation protection, waste management etc.) thereby guaranteeing a specific level of funding for each field while encouraging stakeholders to prepare 'state of the art' proposals. - Research stakeholders from new Member States are becoming well integrated in European nuclear research. In the fusion research, the participation of smaller fusion labs from these MS was guaranteed as part of the initial 'named beneficiary' approach required by the Council Regulation, and since then most of these smaller labs appear clearly to have benefited from the evolution of the fusion programme. In the fission research, participation rates in successful projects are two times higher than the Horizon 2020 average. - In the fission programme, the private sector and SMEs participate actively and participation rates are comparable with Horizon 2020, even though Euratom Programme has no specific incentives at its disposal. - A positive trend is confirmed in international cooperation regarding relative success rate of third country participants as compared with Horizon Bigger involvement of Ukrainian research entities is expected thanks to the recently signed Association Agreement of Ukraine to the Euratom Research and Training Programme. 3 Euratom Work Programme 2018 WP2018 will be the final WP of the current Euratom Research and Training Programme. The budget of 67,7 million for fission research requires a selective approach in order to address the most important issues. Regarding fusion research, in line with the article 4(5) of Council Regulation 1314/2013, the Commission Decision C(2014)5009 adopting the Euratom WP2014/15 constituted a 5-year financing decision for both Ofusion (co-fund Grant Agreement for a EJP) and the 'New JET Operation Contract' (NJOC). Therefore, as in the case of WP2016/17, WP2018 will provide only limited additional funding for activities that are complementary to the Ofusion joint programme and NJOC. The following section describes possible directions of research in WP 2018 followed by the outlook until Fission research Nuclear safety research in WP2018 and outlook until 2020 Funding will be provided to specific areas of research in view of supporting nuclear safety, in particular: - Long term operation, including increased knowledge on ageing phenomena, integrity assessment of systems, structures and components and accurate evaluation of safety margins; - Pre-normative research supporting harmonisation and standardisation as well as the licensing process. 1 Please note that research objectives for need first to be decided by the Council when adopting the Council regulation on the Euratom Research and Training Programme

3 - Development and use of simulation tools, risk assessment, prevention and mitigation of severe accidents; - Innovative LWR Generation III design for increased safety and safety developments of advanced Gen-IV fast reactor technologies for sustainable use of fuel resources, or for cogeneration of heat and electricity, and SMRs; - Nuclear fuel reprocessing and fabrication of innovative fuel, partitioning and transmutation, as well as cross-cutting activities including qualification of nuclear materials and development of innovative materials to improve plant safety; - Further integration of the research community in nuclear safety activities. Waste management research in WP 2018 and outlook until 2020 Depending on the findings of the on-going feasibility study of a European Joint Programme (EJP) in Radioactive waste management (JOPRAD), WP2018 could already launch this new initiative if sufficiently mature. The new EJP could address the following issues: - R&D on demonstration of repository concepts and components and scientific issues in support of the target start of operation of the first geological repositories for high-level radioactive waste and spent fuel in Europe by Research and Innovation for the management and disposal of other radioactive waste categories, such as intermediate-level and long-lived waste, as well as research on pre-disposal issues. - Support for long-term R&D on radioactive waste management to ensure that scientific understanding of safety-relevant issues remain credible, verifiable, shared by large scientific communities and positioned at the global cutting edge of scientific knowledge throughout the full operational period of repositories, which is expected to be in excess of 100 years. Specific actions aimed at developing an Integrated Knowledge Management System of past and ongoing R&D results on radioactive waste management and disposal solutions, with a view of establishing state of the art science and guidance for training and dissemination, in particular towards Member States with less advanced development of waste management and disposal.. Research for decommissioning in WP 2018 and outlook until 2020: Decommissioning is a recognised part of a nuclear facility's life cycle and cannot be neglected when developing a roadmap to a sustainable low-carbon energy future. Along with waste management, this also has an important ethical dimension (not passing on burdens to future generations) and is in the public interest. Though most dismantling techniques are now at the level of industrial maturity, there may still be specific challenges regarding high levels of safety and cost-effectiveness. It is important to promote an EU scientific consensus in this field in order to build on the EU's recognised expertise in nuclear safety and waste management in general, e.g. by ensuring appropriate safety standards and providing guidance for decommissioning and the subsequent management of waste. Research has a potential role, both as regards radiation protection as well as in the development of more efficient dismantling and decontamination processes and techniques, waste standardisation and characterisation, etc. Possible WP2018 Research and Innovation Actions on decommissioning are: - Characterisation & survey prior to dismantling; - Management of decommissioning incl. setting up safety rules for decommissioning; 3

4 - Technologies for segmentation & dismantling (remote techniques, lightweight and underwater cutting, etc.); - Decontamination & remediation; - Minimisation of waste; - Site characterisation & environmental monitoring. Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) to strengthen networking and complementarity between national research programmes financed and/or managed by public authorities or by mandated bodies (e.g. agencies). Several levels of cooperation and coordination can be achieved depending on the particular networking maturity. Cooperation with international partners might be seen also as a potential promising path for the exploitation of advanced technological capabilities. Radiation protection research in WP 2018 and outlook until 2020: The future Euratom actions in radiation protection need to integrate outcome of the calls launched within the CONCERT European Joint Programme ( ). In this context WP 2018 could support: Further actions in the field of low dose research (not covered by CONCERT EJP); Cross-cutting research for the optimisation of the use of radiation in medical applications. Nuclear education and training in WP2018 and outlook until 2020 For WP2018 a specific assessment should be carried out on the application of the ECVET and ECTS accreditation schemes across nuclear research and training in the EU, as well as to identify how their application can be improved to enhance the goal of mobility of experts, scientists and engineers within the EU. For , Euratom may continue actions aiming at improvement of the nuclear safety culture through effective coordination and support at Community level of training schemes recognised as international scientific references; transfer of higher-level competences for young and experienced research workers; increase the attractiveness of nuclear careers in public and private research organisations across the EU; strengthen links with other Community policies and training networks outside the EU. Finally, Euratom actions in nuclear education and training should aim at reinforcing confidence and public acceptance on nuclear science. 3.2 Outlook for Euratom international cooperation in WP 2018 and until 2020 Focus in fission and fusion research should be put to increase consistency and synergies between Euratom policy and activities of Members States in order to ensure a successful implementation of the Association agreements with Switzerland and Ukraine and continuous cooperation with strategic third countries (like USA, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, Iran, etc.). 4

5 3.3 Fusion research WP2018 and outlook : Evaluation of the Ofusion 2014 and 2015 annual reporting has not identified any significant gaps in the coverage of the fusion roadmap that need to be addressed outside the scope of Ofusion. In addition, the mid-term review of Ofusion, completed in July 2016, has not detected any deficiencies that need to be corrected through additional actions in WP2018 and the programme outside the Ofusion grant / EJP. The actions proposed below concern complementary activities that are best managed outside Ofusion and are launched with the approval of Ofusion: - Recognition prize SOFT2018 its scope will be decided following assessment of the 2016 edition, awarded at SOFT2016 in Prague. - Cross-cutting fusion-fission research: scope of the possible topics will be determined following evaluation of the outcome of the WP2016/17 call (topics on multi-scale modelling and tritium management). - WP2018 could include a support action concerning implementation of open cloud science in fusion R&D - In order to benefit from existing intellectual property accumulated by the programme, and also to encourage increased involvement of industry, WP2018 could provide support for an increased cooperation on the management of fusion patents 5

6 ANNEX Overview of implementation of Euratom Work Programmes 2014/15 and 2016/17 1 Results of the 1st call for proposals (WP2014/15) Regarding the results of the 1 st call, the participation in Euratom fission actions through the above calls resulted in 66 eligible proposals. The cumulative amount of Euratom contribution requested under these proposals was 233,75 million, which represents 2.5 times the Euratom budget estimated in the Euratom Work Programme After evaluation, 55 proposals scored above threshold while 22 proposals were finally retained. The number of selected projects was 23, including 1 proposal retained from the reserve list with a total allocated financial contribution of 90,18 million. On average, the amount of Euratom budget allocated per signed grant is almost 4 million. The success rates for Euratom indirect actions are 33.33% in terms of eligible proposals and 37.63% in terms of Euratom funding requested (Horizon 2020 averages: 13.39% and 14.51% respectively). Overall the Euratom success rates are significantly higher than the average Horizon 2020 success rates, due to high degree of consolidation of the research efforts in this domain. Participation trends show that labs from new Member States are well integrated into the European nuclear research (EU-13/EU-28 participation rate is relatively very high at 22.25% compared to Horizon 2020 average of 9.87%). Participation from associated (CH) and third countries is 4.85% and 6.12% respectively (Horizon 2020 averages: 5.88% and 4.82%), while participation from private sector and SMEs is 23.47% and 6.38% respectively (Horizon 2020 averages: 30.59% and 16.07%). Regarding SMEs participation it is important to note that unlike Horizon 2020, Euratom does not offer specific support to SMEs. While trends shown in implementation of WP2014/15 are important, any extrapolation should be treated with a caution because the fission call of WP2014/15 accounts for less than 34% of the total budget foreseen for Comparison of Euratom WP2014/15 and WP2016/17 While the call for proposals launched under WP2016/17 is still on-going, some trends can be already indicated (see charts and table below). 6

7 Although the present analysis focuses on fission research, it is important to bear in mind that expenditure on fusion research accounts for 3/4 (74%) of the overall Euratom budget for indirect actions during Regarding fission research, about 83% of the budget under two Euratom WPs has been assigned to 3 main fields in fission research, namely nuclear safety, radiation protection and waste management. Funding of fission research priorities under Euratom Work Programmes 2014/15 and 2016/17 Research priority WP2014/15 WP2016/17 Total for Mio Mio Mio % Safety of nuclear systems 26,64 55,45 82,09 42,01 Radiation protection 35, ,20 22,6 Waste management 16,30 18,90 35,20 18 Cross-cutting research 6,20 15,70 21,90 11,2 Education and Training 5,82 6,00 11,82 6,1 Total 90,16 105,05 195, We notice that WP increased more than twice the budgetary allocation to nuclear safety research and cross-cutting actions, while decreasing expenditure on radiation protection. This is because following the 2015 launch of the European Joint Programme in Radiation Protection, which was meant to support member countries research initiatives, the 2016/17 call only provides financing for launching supplementary actions in this area. Allocation to nuclear waste management and education and training remains at similar level between WPs 2014/15 and 2016/17. 7

8 3 Trends in specific areas of fission research under WP2014/15 and WP2016/17 The following section presents details of fission subfields, following the order of objectives as presented in the Council regulation 1314/2013 on the Euratom Research and Training Programme

9 In nuclear safety, the research funded in WP2014/15 focused on safety of existing and future rectors, while attempting to introduce some innovative approaches to reactor safety. For the WP2016/16, the on-going call allocates substantially more funding and introduces a single ranking list for all proposals in this area in order to ensure research excellence. Research in nuclear safety Objective according to Council regulation Supporting safety of nuclear systems WP2014/15 (completed) Projects funded SOTERIA INCEFA - PLUS IVMR SESAME FASTNET Areas covered Budget allocated Improved safety design and operation of fission reactors 17,55 prediction of severe accident progression 2,83 WP2016/17 (ongoing) Areas covered Safety of: - Generation II, III and IV reactors - closed nuclear fuel cycle options and fuel developments -small reactors modular Budget allocated 55,45 Mio sco2-hero SAMOFAR New innovative approaches to reactor safety 6,26 Materials research for Generation-IV reactors 9

10 In waste management, the research funded under WP2014/15 focused mainly on supporting implementation of the geological repositories. The on-going WP2016/17 continues this approach however due to the introduction of a single ranking list for waste management, the budgetary allocation between research on geological disposal and other solutions will be decided solely on the basis of scientific excellence. Research in waste management Objective according to Council regulation Contributing to the development of safe, longer term solutions for the management of ultimate nuclear waste, including final geological disposal as well as partitioning and transmutation WP2014/15 (completed) Projects funded JOPRAD SITEX II MIND MODERN 2020 CEBAMA Areas covered Feasibility study of a Joint Programme in Radioactive waste Management Supporting the licensing of geological repositories Supporting the implementation of the firstof-the-kind geological repositories Budget allocated 1,10 Mio 1,12 Mio 14 Mio WP2016/17 (ongoing) Topics Research and innovation on the overall management of radioactive waste other than geological disposal. Pan-European knowledge sharing and development of competence in radioactive waste management Addressing key priority R&I issues for the first-of-the-kind geological repositories Budget allocated 18,90 Mio 10

11 In nuclear expertise, the research funded under WP2014/15 focused on education and training actions tackling the present challenges notably the high retirement expectations and low renewal rates regarding the EU workforce in all nuclear areas. The WP2016/17 puts instead emphasis on developing Euratom Fission Training Scheme complemented by setting up a strong grant programme supporting the participation of students in nuclear training programmes in the EU Support for nuclear education and training Objective according to Council regulation Supporting the development and sustainability of nuclear expertise and excellence in the Union WP2014/15 (completed) Projects funded ANNETTE CORONA II BRILLIANT VINCO Areas covered Continuous professional development, life-long learning and cross-border mobility, Regional training centre for VVR reactors Baltic and Visegrad countries cooperation in E&T Budget allocated 3,53 Mio 2,29 Mio WP2016/17 (ongoing) Topic(s) Support for careers in the nuclear field Budget allocated 6 Mio 11

12 In radiation protection, the research funded under WP2014/15 focused mainly on launching the European Joint Programme for the integration of radiation protection research (CONCERT grant). Other projects launched under this WP include different aspects of radiation protection and medical applications but are not limited to these fields. The research planned under WP2016/17 will supplement EJP in the area of epidemiology studies of people who have undergone radiological procedures. Research in radiation protection Objective according to Council regulation Supporting radiation protection and development of medical applications of radiation, including, inter alia, the secure and safe supply and use of radioisotopes; WP2014/15 (completed) Projects funded CONCERT HERACLES-CP MYRTE Areas covered European Joint Programme for the Integration of Radiation Protection Research Research on high density uranium fuel and targets for the production of medical radioisotopes Research on accelerator driven transmutation system suitable inter alia for medical radioisotopes other than technetium-99m. Budget allocated 35,20 Mio WP2016/17 (ongoing) Topics Epidemiology studies of people who have undergone radiological procedures Research on tritium management in fission and fusion facilities with a view of refinement of the knowledge on radiotoxicity, radioecology, radiobiology, dosimetry and metrology of tritium Budget allocated 9 Mio Up to 8 Mio 12

13 In cross-cutting, the research funded under WP2014/15 focused on different challenges, some of them such as security of supply for VVER reactors in the European Union stemming from the Energy Union's priorities. WP2016/17 brings substantial support for research reactors in Europe which should benefit all areas of nuclear research as well as all European citizens. This is expected to contribute to the resolution of the recurrent problems of availability of medical radioisotopes and also optimise the use of irradiation time in research reactors in order to reduce disruptions and delays occurring in many experiments. WP2014/15 (completed) WP2016/17 (ongoing) Objective according to Council regulation Projects funded Areas covered Budget allocated Topics Budget allocated HoNESt A study to identify and analyse the core explanatory factors of societal interactions and engagement with nuclear energy, based on historical and sociological comparative pan-european research. 3 Mio Support for the optimised use of European research reactors 7,7 Mio Cross-cutting aspects of nuclear research Euratom NCP SPRINT ESSANUF Network of National Contact Points Support for SNETP with regard to research road mapping, networking, dissemination and communication. Security of supply and licensing of western type nuclear fuel for VVER reactors 0,5 Mio 0,6 Mio 2,06 Mio Support for the EU security of supply of nuclear fuel for research reactors Fission/fusion cross-cutting research in the area of multi-scale materials modelling Cross-cutting support to improved knowledge on tritium management in fission and fusion facilities 8 Mio 13

14 4 Fusion research under WP2014/15 and WP2016/17 In 2014, the Ofusion consortium achieved the vast majority of the agreed deliverables and milestones set out in its 2014 Annual Work Plan, and this despite 2014 being a transitional year involving the setting up of the new organisational structure. Key achievements include: - 10% of the Fusion Roadmap's research milestones for have been reached in 2014; - The consortium published about 200 articles in peer-reviewed high impact journals; researchers had access to key research infrastructures (JET and other medium-sized tokamaks) in 2014 thanks to Euratom support. Initial indications are that progress has been even more impressive in 2015, with most high-level milestones having been reached and some 400 articles in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, regarding availability of leading research infrastructures, the Wendelstein7-X (W7-X) stellarator, located at IPP, Greifswald in Germany, the construction of which was co-funded through Euratom in the past, entered into the commissioning phase in May 2014, with the 'first plasma' being achieved in December This facility will now join the other cutting-edge devices in Europe being exploited under the Ofusion Joint Programme. The WP 2016/17 provides funding for important cross-cutting fission/fusion research on multi-scale materials modelling and tritium management. 14