WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced nearly $64 million in awards for advanced nuclear energy technology to DOE national laboratories, industry, and 39 U.S. universities in 29 states. In total, DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy selected 89 projects for funding for nuclear energy research, facility access, and crosscutting technology and infrastructure development.
“Because nuclear energy is such a vital part of our nation’s energy portfolio, these investments are necessary to ensuring that future generations of Americans will continue to benefit from safe, clean, reliable, and resilient nuclear energy,” said Ed McGinnis, DOE’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy. “Our commitment to providing researchers with access to the fundamental infrastructure and capabilities needed to develop advanced nuclear technologies is critical.”
The awards are dispersed under three DOE nuclear energy programs: the Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP), the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET) program, and the Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) program.
Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP)
DOE is awarding $47 million through NEUP to support 63 U.S. university-led nuclear energy research and development projects in 29 states. These projects will maintain U.S. leadership in nuclear research across the country by providing top science and engineering faculty and their students opportunities to develop innovative technologies and solutions for civil nuclear capabilities.
An additional $5 million is being awarded under NEUP to support 18 university-led projects for research reactor and infrastructure improvements. These projects will provide important safety, performance, and educational upgrades to a portion of the nation’s 25 university research reactors.
Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET)
DOE is awarding $5 million under the NEET program for five research and development projects led by DOE national laboratories, industry, and universities. Together, they will conduct research to address crosscutting nuclear energy challenges that will help to develop advanced sensors and instrumentation, advanced manufacturing methods, and materials for multiple nuclear reactor plant and fuel applications.
Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF)
Under its NSUF program, DOE has selected one industry-led and two university-led projects to investigate important nuclear fuel and material applications. These projects will receive $6.6 million in total for research, facility access costs, and expertise in the following topics: experimental neutron and ion irradiation testing, post-irradiation examination facilities, synchrotron beamline capabilities, and technical assistance for design and analysis of experiments through the NSUF program.