Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Launches 2024 Phd Bursary Call

12th October 2023

The NDA is looking for research proposals related to nuclear decommissioning for its 2024 PhD Bursary Call.

The NDA has launched its 2024 PhD bursary scheme as part of its commitment to developing talent within the nuclear sector and supporting the pioneers of the future.

The scheme is key in ensuring the organisation has the right skills and capabilities to support nuclear decommissioning. The NDA is currently sponsoring more than 50 PhD students and three post-doctoral researchers.

Each year the NDA invests around £100 million in research and development as part of ongoing support to develop the technical skills needed for decommissioning in the future. At least £750,000 of sponsorship is available through the bursary scheme, in previous years over £1 million has been awarded.

This research helps ensure the challenges of nuclear decommissioning are fully understood, pushes the boundaries to explore emerging ideas and innovation, and seizes the opportunities created by the development and demonstration of new technologies.

Proposals to the scheme are reviewed by technical specialists from the Nuclear Waste and Decommissioning Research Forum (NWDRF) and we typically fund 1 proposal for every 6 applications received.

Experts look for proposals that support the NDA mission to deliver safe, secure and sustainable solutions to the challenge of decommissioning and clean-up of the UK's civil nuclear legacy.

Dr Rick Short, Research Manager at the NDA, said, "Our academic partnerships help us explore emerging innovations to deliver sustainable decommissioning more effectively, efficiently, and for less cost to the taxpayer.

We're interested in proposals that link to any aspect of our mission. This includes looking at wider issues beyond our typical science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) challenges, such as organisational psychology and risk modelling.

Applicants have until 3pm on Friday 1 December 2023 to submit their proposals. The winning entries will be chosen by April 2024 with a view to the projects starting in September 2024.

Further information on the call, the assessment criteria and selection process is available on the NNL website

The PhD bursary call for Nuclear Waste Services, part of the NDA group, is also currently open for applications . The scheme provides funding to UK academic institutions for 4-year PhD projects that directly support the delivery of a UK Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) for the permanent disposal of higher activity radioactive waste.