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ESARDA course on Nuclear Safeguards and Non-proliferation

Offered by: SCK CEN
SCK CEN Academy
ESARDA course on Nuclear Safeguards and Non-proliferation

About this course

The course 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. 

This 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.

A maximum of 34 participants is foreseen (20 selected participants using the ENEN2plus grant, max. 14 other participants who pay the regular registration fee of 500 EUR). All participants are requested to attend all sessions and need to prepare a 10 minute presentation about their research topic.

Topics

This is a one-week course that provides an overview of the European and international safeguards legislation, verification technologies and the evolution of safeguards approaches and offers insight into proliferation aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle. 

The course identifies proliferation-sensitive installations and the efforts to hinder the use of nuclear material and technology for manufacturing military devices. It covers nuclear safeguards principles, technology and inspection methodologies, including export control and inclusive forensics. 

It consists of lectures, laboratory visits, topical case studies and classroom exercises, whereas the in-field safeguards application is illustrated by direct reporting of on-site Euratom and IAEA inspectors. 

The lectures are given by experts from regulatory bodies and inspectorates, such as Euratom safeguards, IAEA, NRA Japan, industry such as Orano, and research organisations, like JRC, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, IRSN, the European Satellite Centre (SatCen), the Vienna Centre for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP), and the Universities of Stockholm, Liege, Siena and Ghent.

Audience

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.

Preparation

The course syllabus can be downloaded from the learning platform. Some upfront reading is advisable e.g. on the more technical parts for participants with less technical background and on the more legal/historical parts for those participants with only technical background.

Specific Details

Program Type:
Specialisation
Level:
EQF 6, EQF 7, EQF 7 - 8, EQF 8

Schedule

Exact dates

Frequency

Other

Learning Outcomes

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

·        Have 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

·        Able to draw up basic safeguards approaches for different nuclear fuel cycle facilities

·        Able to determine type of safeguards equipment to be used in function of the installations and materials

·        Able to identify the relevant elements of information to go into the safeguards state evaluation process

·        Able to appreciate the multidisciplinary nature of international nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation

Type of Certification

Certificate without Examination

Application details

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:

  • contact details of the student;
  • status of the student’s and/or early career professionals;
  • motivation to attend the course;
  • scientific CV and publication list;
  • abstract of the current research work.

The application should be sent by e-mail to academy@sckcen.be before the deadline of March 2, 2025. 

The selection committee will decide upon which 20 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:

  • the quality of the abstract and the research work presented in the abstract,

  • the achievements made by the candidate during the past 3 years, and

  • the motivation to attend the training course.

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:

  1. via the dedicated SCK CEN website and pay online for the registration fee of 500 euro; and

  2. via the application portal to obtain the ENEN2plus mobility grant. Individual applicants are obliged to submit a mission report and answer the questionnaire through the ENEN2plus application portal no later than 30 days after completion of the mobility action. Failure to submit the report will require the applicant to return the full lump sum of 1400 euro.

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.

Time schedule

All selected participants will be requested to comply with the schedule and deadlines below:

  • March 2, 2025 – Deadline for submission of the candidate’s application

  • March 12, 2025 – Deadline for the selection of applications by the selection committee

  • March 14, 2025 – Inform the applicants about the decision of selection committee (the latest)

  • March 21, 2025 – Deadline registration for selected participants

Selection commitee

The members of the Selection Committee are:

  • Willem Janssens – EC JRC
  • Klaas van der Meer – SCK CEN
  • Riccardo Rossa – SCK CEN & UGent
  • Kamel Abbas – EC JRC
  • Pierre Funk – IRSN

Conditions

SCK CEN and EC-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.

Contact

SCK CEN Academy
academy@sckcen.be

Details

ID: 4703
Organisation:
Country:
Belgium
Language:
English
Start/End:
5 May 2025 / 9 May 2025
Duration:
1 week
Application Deadline:
2 Mar 2025
Location:
200-2400
Modality:
Face to Face

Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.

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