IAEA Hosts International Conference on Research Reactors

More than 300 participants from over 80 countries came to the IAEA's headquarters in Vienna today to participate in the International Conference on Research Reactors. Achievements and experience will be in focus as the conference discussions will address a range of topics on how to ensure the sustainability and continued success of these facilities well into the future.

This conference is the largest international forum in which reactor operators, managers, users, regulators, designers and suppliers can share experience in all relevant areas including safety, security, operation, fuel front and back-end options, utilization, infrastructure and capacity building, and management.

"Research reactors are important at this time of growth, at this time of promise," said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. "They are a conveyor belt of knowledge, of capacity building in our countries. They are a fundamental instrument and tool to educate our workforce."

Research reactors have been in operation since the middle of last century, with 227 currently operating in 54 countries according to the IAEA's Research Reactor Database. Unlike nuclear power reactors, research reactors have low power of typically no more than 100 MW (thermal), and rather than generating electricity, they are used to produce neutrons for various applications, as well as for education and training. From testing materials for nuclear industry to producing radioisotopes such as Mo-99 for medical imaging and Lu-177 for cancer treatment, research reactor facilities provide many benefits to society and support progress on several of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being and SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.