Engineer examining nuclear equipment in a lab

Research

Industry members of UNENE annually fund the Industrial Research Chairs (IRC) and Research Cooperative Projects (RCPs) in support of research and development. The IRCs support professorship salaries and their research grants while the RCPs are dedicated only to research grants. All industry funding is fully leveraged by NSERC for all IRC research programs and RCPs.

The UNENE related research activities are itemized below complement existing university and industry programs. Find out more about what other nuclear programs are offered in Canada, about existing document repositories, and more at the pages linked below.

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Industry Research Chairs

UNENE members, along with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), annually fund the Industrial Research Chair (IRC) programs in areas of importance to the nuclear industry.

These areas include: nuclear safety, plant and materials performance, decommissioning and waste management, among others.

The IRCs support program-related human and capital resource costs and research grants. All industry funding is fully leveraged by NSERC for all IRCs.

Research Cooperative Projects

UNENE members, along with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), annually fund the Research Cooperative Projects (RCPs) in areas of importance to the nuclear industry.

These areas include: nuclear safety, plant and materials performance, decommissioning and waste management, among others.

The RCPs are dedicated only to research grants. All industry funding is fully leveraged by NSERC for all RCPs.

* RCPs were formerly known as Collaborative Research & Development (CRDs).

Research Advisory Committee

The Research Advisory Committee is comprised of the UNENE Industrial Research Chairs, as well as representatives from UNENE’s nuclear industry and government membership. The RAC members bring a wealth of expertise and knowledge, as well as many diverse perspectives on Canada’s nuclear research agenda and its execution. The committee’s accountabilities include identification of evolving needs and priorities of the nuclear sector that will inform future research; serving as a liaison between universities and industry to select research areas and programs of mutual interest; and, on behalf of the UNENE board, providing general oversight and direction of UNENE’s research program.

Read a more detailed description of the committee’s mandate and accountabilities on the UNENE RAC page.

Technical Advisory Committee

Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) members act as the single point of contact for their organization for each UNENE-partnered research project. Committee members bring forward industry and stakeholder R&D needs and represent their interests in the research process. Members provide input and feedback to researchers on an on-going basis. As well, TAC members review draft research proposals (and involve the member’s Research Advisory Committee representative as appropriate). The TAC also facilitates industry support letters and reviews the R&D project status reports received from the researcher. The TAC Committee provides an important feedback mechanism to ensure benefits of the research projects are fully realized. By identifying required improvements and additional opportunities along the way, the TAC ensures the greatest success for all program stakeholders in the outcome of the research.