IAEA Project Seeks Smarter Testing for Next-Generation Nuclear Fuels

The new CRP will bring together research reactor facilities and specialists involved in fuel and material testing to examine how experiments can be designed more systematically.

As countries explore advanced nuclear reactors, small modular reactors (SMRs), new fuel designs and longer operating lives for existing nuclear power plants, the need to understand how fuels and structural materials behave under extreme reactor conditions is becoming increasingly important. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched a four-year coordinated research project (CRP) focused on improving the design of irradiation experiments in research reactors, helping scientists gather stronger data while making better use of specialised testing facilities.

Research reactors put new materials through extreme conditions

Nuclear fuels and structural materials cannot simply move from the laboratory into a power reactor without extensive qualification. Researchers need to know how they respond to radiation, high temperatures, pressure, chemical environments and different neutron conditions over extended periods, since changes in material behaviour can influence reactor performance and safety.

Research reactors provide controlled environments where scientists and engineers can recreate many of these demanding conditions and observe what happens to fuels and materials during irradiation. More than 60 operational research reactors worldwide currently contribute to fuel and material testing, providing an important scientific foundation for nuclear energy technologies as well as supporting other applications such as medical radioisotope production.

Testing needs are becoming more complex as countries investigate advanced nuclear systems, SMRs, fusion technologies, high-performance research reactor fuels and ways to safely extend the working life of existing nuclear plants. Modern experiments may require very precise combinations of temperature, pressure, chemistry, neutron flux and neutron spectrum, while suitable irradiation positions inside research reactors can be limited and expensive to use.

Smarter experiment design could make testing more valuable

The new CRP will bring together research reactor facilities and specialists involved in fuel and material testing to examine how experiments can be designed more systematically. Many facilities have developed successful testing methods through years of local experience, yet wider use of shared methodologies and good practices could improve the quality of experiments and make results easier to compare across different facilities.

Researchers will study irradiation devices including capsules, rigs and loops, looking at ways to improve existing designs or develop new approaches that can reproduce the conditions required for emerging fuels and materials. The project will also examine technologies used to monitor and control irradiation environments, giving experiment designers better information about what materials experience while inside a reactor.

A particularly important area will be in-situ measurement, where advanced instrumentation collects information while irradiation is taking place rather than relying only on examinations performed after testing has finished. Such measurements can reveal how fuel and material properties change during exposure, giving researchers a richer picture of performance under realistic nuclear conditions.

Five research priorities will guide the four-year project

The project will advance methodologies for designing innovative fuel and material experiments, assess current irradiation-testing capabilities and identify areas where existing techniques could be improved. Researchers will develop or refine testing methods and irradiation devices, strengthen techniques for controlling and monitoring experimental conditions, expand approaches for in-situ measurements and prepare technical guidance that facilities can use when designing future experiments.

Petr Chakrov, Head of the IAEA's Research Reactor Section, said research reactors have a distinctive role in supporting the safe introduction of new nuclear fuels and materials. Improving experiment design can help countries extract greater value from facilities they already operate, plan future testing capabilities and support innovation across the nuclear sector.

The work is expected to result in recommendations, technical guidance and practical tools that can help researchers create experiments that are safer, more effective and more efficient. These resources could support new reactor and fuel technologies while strengthening research capabilities needed for the continued operation of existing nuclear power plants.

Research organizations invited to join by October 2026

Research organizations interested in participating can submit proposals for an IAEA Research Contract or Agreement to the agency's Research Contracts Administration Section. The deadline is 31 October 2026, allowing qualified institutions to contribute expertise, experimental methods and technologies to the international project.

Preference will be given to proposals that combine functionality, innovation, practical deployment and transferability in devices and methods used for fuel and material testing. The IAEA is also encouraging participating organizations to include women and early-career researchers, expanding opportunities for a new generation of specialists to contribute to research that could shape future nuclear technologies.