ANSTO today welcomed the $12.5 million nuclear research funding announcement made by The Prime Minister, the Hon John Howard yesterday to fund a five-year collaborative programme focussed on future nuclear power technologies involving ANSTO and Australian universities.
Dr Ian Smith, ANSTO’s Chief Executive said the programme will help develop a core nuclear skills base by funding university staff and post-graduate students to work in specific nuclear power related areas.
“Importantly the programme will also provide for ten undergraduate research studentships worth $5,000 per annum commencing in 2009,” he said.
“Overall the program is part of a nuclear capability building exercise that will introduce research programmes into universities and facilitate the training of graduate engineers, chemists, and materials scientists whose skills are needed in the nuclear power industry.
“The program will also encourage the introduction of nuclear components into science and engineering programmes in Australian universities.
“Australian University research activities will also augment ANSTO’s core activities as a participant in the international Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems Initiative (Gen IV), a major international project which aims to further examine and develop six next generation nuclear power technologies.
The Prime Minister recently announced that the Government is seeking to participate in the Gen IV research programme.”
The community is also set to benefit from Australia being at the cutting edge of this key international research by having access to the latest information in power technology.
Of the $12.5 million, $5 million is earmarked for establishing infrastructure at ANSTO to support the research. This will be made available to university researchers in the same way as other nuclear-related infrastructure at ANSTO currently is but would include facilities to enable irradiation, testing, and characterisation of materials that may be used in the next generation of nuclear reactors.
“Importantly the research has many areas in common with other major challenges in energy production such as carbon capture and high temperature conventional power plants,” said Dr Smith.