University of Bristol, NNL team up to spur U.K. nuclear-energy growth

The University of Bristol's (UB) South West Nuclear Hub and the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) recently signed a memorandum of understanding to finalize the working relationship between the Hub and NNL as part of efforts to spur growth in the U.K.'s technical nuclear-energy sector, UB said this week.

The U.K. government has made nuclear-energy development a high priority.

“The 2015 Spending Review highlighted priorities in nuclear research, with a view to building one of the world’s first Small Modular Reactors in the U.K.,” NNL Chief Scientist Andrew Sherry said. “NNL’s university links are therefore vital, both for us and for the U.K. as we draw on the nuclear research excellence and high-level skills to deliver impact in all our national nuclear programs. We are delighted to sign this MoU, which paves the way for a far more strategic relationship with the Bristol-Oxford Nuclear Research Centre, enabling a growing contribution to this national nuclear mission.”

The university said long-term funding for nuclear research will be supported through this partnership, one focus of which will be to build the skill sets of future nuclear industry workers in the U.K.