The Multinational Design Evaluation Programme (MDEP), a unique multinational initiative leveraging the resources and knowledge of national regulators to review new reactor designs, began operation under a new framework agreement in January 2022 with the first meeting of the new Management Board.
During its first meeting the Management Board elected officers and confirmed MDEP’s willingness to consider options for wider international co-operation in the future as new reactor technologies are presented to national regulators for assessment.
The Management Board also adopted new Terms of Reference for the Programme and for its design-specific and any future issue-specific groups. This concluded the transition from the previous Framework and will further allow the MDEP to continue in its unique role.
MDEP is currently considering plans to hold a conference on key achievements of the MDEP since 2006, the lessons learnt, its ongoing work and future international co-operation in light of the needs of embarking countries.