Nordic research and development cooperation to strengthen nuclear reactor safety after the Fukushima accident

NKS (Nordic Nuclear Safety Research) is a forum for Nordic cooperation and competence sharing within nuclear safety and emergency preparedness, serving as an umbrella for Nordic initiatives and interests. An overview of the funded activities within the nuclear safety program (NKS-R) during the last few years is presented in this article. The presented research covers the areas of thermal hydraulics, severe accidents, risk analysis and probabilistic methods, organisational issues and safety culture, decommissioning and plant life management and extension. Activities are focused towards practical and directly applicable scientific results and competence building. NKS-R funds research activities with particular relevance for the development of Nordic reactor safety research, and promotes participation of young scientists in the activities. The activities involve experimental and analytical studies, workshops, case studies and seminars, and bring together technical research organisations, universities, authorities, industries and consultant companies from the Nordic countries. As exemplified in this report, The NKS-R program provides support with high additionality particularly in smaller R&D projects and pilot projects, and offers the opportunity for network building and valuable collaborations between experts at the leading Nordic research facilities within reactor safety.