A project presented by Framatome and Czech companies ÚJV Řež and Research Centre Řež has been awarded 1.2 million euros in funding under a bilateral call for projects by the French National Research Agency (ANR) and the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA ČR).
Applications were open to collaborative research and innovation projects in the nuclear field. The winning project, “EVANS” (for Experimental Validation of Advanced Neutronics codes for Safety), relates to the development of an innovative experimental benchmark and validation of a state-of-the-art neutronics codes for light water reactors. These codes are used to simulate the nuclear reactions inside the core of a nuclear power plant and play a key role in predicting the overall behavior of the plant.
“Framatome welcomes this funding from the French National Research Agency and the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. We are proud to work with our Czech partners in advancing and strengthening nuclear research and innovation in Europe” said Lionel Gaiffe, Senior Executive Vice President, Fuel Business Unit at Framatome.
“Support of French National Research Agency and the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic to the EVANS project highlights the needs for common R&D utilizing unique research infrastructure as LR-0 reactor to enhance the nuclear safety. We are committed to provide excellent results moving forward the nuclear sector in Europe and beyond.” said Martin Ruščák, CEO of ÚJV Řež.
The partners in the EVANS project seek to strengthen collaboration between France and the Czech Republic in the field of nuclear power. This project serves as a key steppingstone toward expanding research cooperation between the two countries and follows on from the MoU signed between Framatome, ÚJV Řež and Research Centre Řež in 2023. Under the terms of the MoU, the two companies of the ÚJV Group and Framatome are cooperating through technical exchanges on various topics related to VVER & PWR reactors and fuel design development in the Czech Republic.
