Research Reactor Infrastructure (RRI)

NE supports universities' infrastructure through the Research Reactor Infrastructure (RRI) Program which fabricates fresh fuel for and ships spent fuel from university reactors.

Nuclear Energy University Programs (NEUP)

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy initiated Nuclear Energy University Programs (NEUP) in FY 2009 to consolidate its university support under one program.

NEUP funds nuclear energy research and equipment upgrades at U.S. colleges and universities. NEUP plays a key role in helping the Department of Energy accomplish its mission of leading the nation's investment in the development and exploration of advanced nuclear science and technology.

As stated in its Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap, DOE promotes nuclear power as a resource capable of meeting the Nation's energy, environmental and national security needs by resolving technical and regulatory barriers through research, development and demonstration. For more information, visit www.neup.gov.

NEUP Objectives

NEUP's objectives are to support outstanding, cutting-edge and innovative research at U.S. universities by:

• Attracting the brightest students to the nuclear profession and supporting the nation's intellectual capital in nuclear engineering and relevant nuclear science, such as health physics, radiochemistry and applied nuclear physics.
• Integrating research and development (R&D) at universities, national laboratories and industry to revitalize nuclear education.
• Improving university and college infrastructures for conducting R&D and educating students.
• Facilitating the transfer of knowledge from the aging nuclear workforce to the next generation of workers.

NEUP Solicitations

Research and Development

NEUP seeks to align the nuclear energy research being conducted at U.S. colleges and universities with DOE's mission and goals.

The program is supporting projects that focus on needs and priorities of key Office of Nuclear Energy programs, including fuels cycle, reactor concepts, and transformative research.

NEUP awards millions of dollars in research subcontracts each year through a two-part solicitation process that requires professors to submit pre-applications and then full proposals.

Integrated Research Projects

Integrated Research Projects are up to three-year awards for projects that focus on a specific NE programmatic area of investigation.

The intent is to engage the university community on larger research projects designed to benefit from the involvement of multiple universities, as well as industry/utility and national laboratory partners.

Infrastructure

The Department of Energy recognizes that in order for universities to conduct cutting-edge research and educate the next generation of nuclear scientists and engineers, they need the best equipment and infrastructure possible.

DOE funds three types of infrastructure grants through NEUP - general equipment and infrastructure, minor reactor upgrades and major reactor upgrades.