A Review of the UK's Nuclear R&D Capability

This report has been commissioned by the Technology Strategy Board in association with a number of the UK’s Regional Development Agencies and Materials UK, and assesses the UK’s current R&D capacity and the opportunities for UK organisations to develop and deploy innovative technologies to support the civil nuclear industry. The review has specifically addressed; Executive summary • the UK’s R&D potential to develop and exploit the technology • the potential for UK business to make an impact in the appropriate timeframe • the national and global market opportunity for exploitation • the potential role for public sector intervention that adds value above and beyond that of private investment The study commissioned has been bounded to identify those opportunities associated with technology development yielding a potential commercial return over the next 5-10 years (although the report also takes account of longer term payback opportunities, where there are clear perceived benefits to UK business). It has also focused on organisations beyond the main industry players and 1st and 2nd tier suppliers to include SMEs. The intention has been to understand what role the sponsors could play in supporting organisations in developing and deploying technology and innovative products. Therefore, by definition, the technology exploitation must be closer to market than blue-sky science (such as that funded by the Research Councils), but not so close that any public sector investment cannot be justified and could be regarded as anticompetitive. This implies investment around Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 3-6 in the technology innovation chain.