March 26, 2013

nuclear research and development

Many of the UK’s future energy scenarios will require nuclear power to play a greater role than it does today. In 2011 the House of Lords Science & Technology Committee carried out a review of civil nuclear research and development in the UK, recommending that the Government take a longer term look at what research might be needed to help the UK prepare for a range of future scenarios involving nuclear. In response, in 2012 the Government established an ad hoc Nuclear R&D Advisory Board, under the leadership of Chief Scientist Sir John Beddington, to look at the implications for R&D of a wide range of nuclear futures.

The report from this Board was published on Tuesday 26 March, alongside the Government’s Nuclear Industry Strategy and other associated documents.  These set out a route to help the UK to return to the international “top table” in relation to nuclear research.

The Board came to the SMC to announce their recommendations and the Government’s response.

Speakers:

Sir John Beddington, Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government and Professor of applied population biology at Imperial College London

Dr Graham Fairhall, Chief Science and Technology Officer at the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL)

Professor David McKay, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC)

Professor Robin Grimes, Director of the Centre for Nuclear Engineering at Imperial College London

Professor Andrew Sherry, Director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute at the University of Manchester

Professor John Perkins, BIS Chief Scientific Adviser