Project results are expected to contribute to some of the following outcomes:

• Safety assessment of advanced and innovative nuclear concepts, their designs and technologies in relation with the requirements of the nuclear safety directive.
• Demonstration of safety performance and reliability of advanced structural materials, and innovative fuels for demonstrators, their monitorability, innovative instrumentation, system integration, component design, balance of plant, for advanced and innovative reactors.
• Development of methods and tools for enhanced modelling assessment, correlations and uncertainties, core and plant advanced surveillance, monitoring, diagnostics and prognostics.
• Demonstration of safety and performance of more innovative fuels such as nitrides and carbides, including recyclability as well as production and out of pile performance together with short term storage safety issues.
• Demonstration of improved safety of advanced and innovative nuclear designs using digital technologies (e.g. machine learning) and advanced computational methods, including advanced component monitoring methods, 3D additive manufacturing, with appropriate validation and benchmarking, and consideration for external hazards, if necessary.
• Recommendations for the assessment and improvement of safety culture, man-machine organisation (MMO) and safe integration of digital technologies.
• Delivery of assessments and tools facilitating the safe, secure and efficient integration of nuclear energy systems into low-carbon and smart energy systems.
• Assessment of social considerations regarding safety of advanced and innovative technologies.

Proposed research should support the safety assessment and development of advanced and innovative reactor safety designs and technologies for deployment in the medium and long term, including Research Reactors and the Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Proposed research should develop design with intrinsic safety features, integrated in a competitive plant design also improving non-proliferation and safeguards, reducing waste generation and improving safety, energy security and improved economics.

R&D should support advanced and innovative concepts to improve long-term operation by design, safety by design, possibly with a high level of passive safety systems, safe and trusted AI-enabled core monitoring/diagnostics, innovative manufacturing of components, components including joining or welding or welding-less techniques, fuels and reactivity control, reducing the need for maintenance and enhancing the economics. In addition, advanced primary and secondary cooling systems could be further developed to minimise waste generation and environmental impacts and ensure that future designs are resilient to abnormal conditions, events like natural hazards, including through more flexibility and higher reliability during and immediately after these external extreme events such as flooding, storms, droughts etc.

Digital modelling of NPPs could be developed for all stages of reactor development and deployment, including design, operation and maintenance. Research could enable the development of multi-scale and multi-physics numerical models for the major structures, systems and components e.g. reactor cores or steam generators, both in terms of instantaneous behaviour and (long-term) ageing, including fuel assemblies.

If the design is at an advanced stage, research on human and organisational factors influencing plant safety and operation could also be included in the proposal, as well as safe integration of digital technologies and safe and optimal plant management.

R&D under this action could have spinoff benefits also for the safety of existing Generation II and III plants, especially with new build. Proposals could also consider cost benefit analysis, optimisation of the safe use of large advanced innovative reactors and SMRs in transition to low carbon and smart energy systems.

Research could assess the flexibility of margins for the safe operation of nuclear reactors to adapt to expected demand, the safe integration of nuclear generation with energy storage options, low-carbon energy carriers, the development of technologies to optimise the safe integration of nuclear plants into future low-carbon and smart grids (including multiple criteria and cost benefit analyses).

Research could also investigate how European citizens perceive the risks, benefits and potentials of advanced and innovative technologies, and the opportunities for their participation in the development of advanced and innovative technologies. The action could support open and participatory approaches to research and innovation in the field of advanced and innovative technologies.

Due to the scope of this topic, international cooperation is encouraged.

Where appropriate, the Commission recommends that consortia make use of the services of the JRC. The JRC may participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. The JRC would bear the operational costs for its own staff and research infrastructure operational costs. The JRC facilities and expertise are listed in General Annex H of this Work Programme.