The NEA Global Forum on Nuclear Education, Science, Technology and Policy was established in January 2021 with the objective to bring academia into global nuclear policy discussions, thereby generating innovative solutions to complex and emerging issues affecting the nuclear sector.
The Council of Advisors to the Global Forum, comprising representatives from academic institutions in NEA member countries, convened on 28 June 2021 to formalise the operational model of the forum and discuss the expected results of its four working groups. Building on earlier dialogue held in April, the Council of Advisors also officially appointed co-chairs for its working groups:
- Achieving gender balance: Seungjin Kim from Purdue University and Vera Verkhoturova from the Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU)
- The future of nuclear education: Raul Barrachina from Balseiro Institute and Kenichi Ishikawa from the University of Tokyo
- The relationship between society and nuclear energy: Edward Obbard from the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) and Emanuela Colombo from the Polytechnic University of Milan
- Increasing the competitiveness of nuclear: Ian Farnan from the University of Cambridge and Man-Sung Yim from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)
“I believe this is extraordinarily important,” noted NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV during his remarks at the meeting. “The next steps you take in operationalising this forum are being watched by many people around the world who look forward to supporting the council as this goes forward.”
The Council of Advisors is now looking to define the approach and methodologies for each working group. Council members agree on the need to examine the nuclear community internally first and then consider opportunities to reach out and connect with other communities within social sciences. For such endeavours, the council and its working groups will communicate with external audiences about the sustainability and technological benefits of nuclear energy.
In addition to the Global Forum on Nuclear Education, Science, Technology and Policy, the NEA is currently working on a variety of initiatives on education and capacity building in the nuclear sector. These include the Nuclear Education, Skills and Technology (NEST) Framework and International Mentoring Workshops.
