I-NERI Press Releases

International Nuclear Energy Research Initiative First International Nuclear Energy Research Initiative Agreement

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) signed the first-ever bilateral I-NERI Agreement on May 16, 2001. Director for Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology, William D. Magwood, IV, signed the agreement for DOE. Dr. Chung-Won Cho, Director General of Korea's Atomic Energy Bureau, signed for MOST. The occasion for the signing was the Opening Plenary Session of the 22nd Annual Republic of Korea-United States of America Joint Standing Committee on Nuclear Energy Cooperation.

I-NERI is a program developed by DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology (NE) to foster international collaborative research and development (R&D) on nuclear technology. NE plans to sign bilateral I-NERI agreements with organizations that, with DOE, are members of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). GIF members share a common concern for and interest in developing advanced, next generation reactor designs that offer advantages in terms of economics, safety, proliferation-resistance, and waste minimization. NE plans to use the I-NERI program as its funding vehicle for Generation IV-related R&D.

The agreement with Korea provides for DOE and MOST to fund joint U.S.-Korean project teams whose proposals are selected on the basis of merit. Initial areas of common U.S.-Korean R&D interest include:

• Advanced Instrumentation, Controls and Diagnostics;
• Advanced Light Water Reactor (LWR) Technology;
• Advanced LWR Fuels and Materials Technology;
• LWR Safety Technology; and
• Advanced LWR Computational Methods.

The two sides expect to issue the first calls for proposals by mid-summer 2001.