The ESARDA course on nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation was set
up as a follow-up to the United Nations recommendations on disarmament
and non-proliferation education of 2002 (United Nations, 2002), to
complement nuclear engineering studies by teaching the technical aspects
of safeguards, contribute to a two-fold scientific-technical and
political-juridical education, and stimulate interest in this
multi-disciplinary field.
The ESARDA course is of major importance for technical knowledge
retention and for enrolling the younger generation in the nuclear
safeguards field, since it deals specifically with technical aspects and
application of safeguards and non-proliferation tools, including
examples of in-field implementation of the safeguards principles and
methodology at the different nuclear facilities.
The full programme can be downloaded here.
Further details and registration are available on the course webpage: https://www.sckcen.be/en/events-courses/esarda-course-nuclear-safeguards-and-non-proliferation-366113
Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:
In terms of knowledge
Understand the historical, legal and technical basis of nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation
Describe an overview of key technologies deployed in nuclear safeguards
Understand the importance of strategic trade control
Identify synergies with nuclear security
In terms of skills and competences
Draw up basic safeguards approaches for different nuclear fuel cycle facilities
Determine type of safeguards equipment to be used in function of the installations and materials
Identify the relevant elements of information to go into the safeguards state evaluation process
Appreciate the multidisciplinary nature of international nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation
The course is open to Master’s degree students in nuclear engineering
but also to international relations/law students interested in nuclear
safeguards related issues and to young professionals in the field.
Basic knowledge of nuclear materials and technology is welcome but not absolutely required.
A maximum of 34 participants is foreseen (possibility of ENEN2plus
mobility grant is being investigated). All participants are requested
to attend all sessions.
Application procedure
1 – If you want to appeal for a grant
If you want to attend the ESARDA training course and want to appeal for a grant, you have to send in an application file, detailing the following information:
The application should be sent by e-mail to academy@sckcen.be before the deadline of February 27, 2026.
If the ENEN2plus mobility grant is approved for this course, the
selection committee will decide upon which participants can effectively
attend the training and are qualified for the ENEN2plus mobility grant.
The criteria for selection of the participants will be based on:
All applicants are handled equally regardless of nationality, ethnicity, gender, language, religion etc.
The grant will be 1400 euro to cover travel and accommodation expenses and the registration fee of 500 euro.
If appointed by the Selection Committee to receive the grant, the selected participants need to register:
2 – If you don’t want to appeal for a grant but immediately want to reserve your spot
If you want to attend the ESARDA training course and immediately want
to reserve your spot without applying for a grant, you need to register
via the dedicated SCK CEN website and pay online for the registration
fee of 500 euro. The registration via the JRC website is also needed to
ensure the entrance permit to the JRC-Geel premises.
Time schedule
All selected participants will be requested to comply with the schedule and deadlines below:
March 16, 2026 – Closing registration on course website
Selection commitee
The members of the Selection Committee are:
Kateryna Poleshchuk – SCK CEN
Registration is possible via the training course website until 16 March 2026.
Cancellation with total refund is only possible until 17 March 2026.
The detailed registration/application procedure can be found under ‘Overview’.
Cancellation requests must be sent by the participant by email to academy@sckcen.be and to the accommodating hotel no later than 17 March, 2026.
No-shows and cancellations after this date will incur the full cost of the registration fee and the hotel.
The training will focus on interaction and dialogue. For this reason, the number of participants will be limited to 34.
Conditions
SCK CEN and JRC-Geel have the right to cancel the course if there is a
lack of participants to cover the full costs of the organisation of the
training course.