RESEARCH REACTORS FOR REGIONAL NUCLEAR EDUCATION: EXPANDING THE EASTERN EUROPEAN RESEARCH REACTOR INITIATIVE MODEL

Making effective use of regional academic coalitions has been successful in Central and Eastern Europe, to the benefit not just of European countries, but also to developing countries in other parts of the world. Education in peaceful application of nuclear energy has developed significantly through the Eastern European Research Reactor Initiative (EERRI) Group Fellowship Training Program, which bridges the gap between advanced academic institutions and IAEA Member States seeking to apply nuclear science and technology to achieve national development objectives. This paper explores the statistics of countries and individuals who participated in the EERRI Group Fellowship Training Program; the challenges faced today by institutions and their governments in supporting nuclear education; and how advantages of the EERRI Fellowship concept discussed in previous papers can be expanded to other regions of the world to enhance closer institutional cooperation and access to nuclear education for young generation of scientists and engineers. In particular, this paper focuses on the flexibility of the EERRI Group Fellowship Program concept via the use of multiple institutions in delivering nuclear education, and in the facilitation of institutional cooperation through such events as ‘train the trainer’ courses. Furthermore, nuclear education options in the Asia-Pacific region will be analysed as a case study in order to assess the suitability of an EERRI Group Fellowship Training Program concept in this region.