Industrial Doctorate Centre: Nuclear Engineering

一个由曼彻斯特大学与伦敦帝国理工学院合作领导、布里斯托尔、利兹、谢菲尔德和斯特拉斯克莱德支持的英国大学联盟提议继续2006年建立的核工程博士课程，作为核工程的工业博士中心(IDC)。核工程IDC的广泛主题领域如最初的EPSRC Call(2006)所定义，涵盖反应堆技术、废物管理、退役、材料、社会经济方面和安全系统。这项提议建立在核工程博士学位计划的基础上，该计划由该联盟开发，目前已进入第二年。该方案的主要目标是通过与公司合作进行广泛的密集培训，培养杰出的、面向职业的研究工程师，使他们具备在核工业中担任高级职务的能力，以支持延长核电站寿命、新建、废物管理、退役和清理以及海军核推进。拟议方案将资助5个队列中的50名研究工程师。该方案包括四个要素：博士水平的研究项目或项目组合；企业管理文凭；授课的技术模块；以及专业发展方案。EPSRC最初呼吁建立核工程博士中心，是为了回应人们对核部门广泛技术基础中关键技能丧失的日益担忧。已委托编写了若干报告(Coverdale 2002和核技能工作队2003年只有两份)，正式确定并量化了这一问题。最初计划的重点是英国对核退役、废物管理、现有反应堆的继续运行和工厂扩建以及海军核推进的直接关切。自2006年启动核能EngD计划以来，政府已正式支持在英国建造新一代核电站(John Hutton于2008年1月宣布)，并预计核能在发电量中的份额将大大高于目前19%的水平。新的核电建设政策不会极大地改变核项目的重点，但它确实增加了培养熟练核工程师的紧迫性，以确保未来的核电站得到监管、建造、投产和安全、可靠和高效地运行。目前，核工业对毕业生的需求很高。英国的相关硕士课程(例如，EPSRC资助的核技术教育联盟和伯明翰PTNR课程)报告称，英国核公司几乎所有可用的学生都迅速被录取。英国的核研究活动也在迅速扩大，这体现在：今年晚些时候建立了一个国家核实验室；英国大学最近设立了四个核领域的新教席；西北科学委员会已经批准了曼彻斯特建立核能技术中心的计划，正在从西北RDA寻求第一阶段资金；2000万NDA/道尔顿核研究所(曼彻斯特)倡议将为英国学者提供访问塞拉菲尔德技术中心的研究途径。核工程IDC将完全融入这些活动，并将继续与EPSRC资助的KNOO(保持核选项开放)计划的正式联系。正在与利兹的Biggs教授(PI，退役、固定和核废物处置中的钻石项目)进行积极的讨论，以联系他们的活动。

A consortium of UK universities, led by the University of Manchester in partnership with Imperial College London and supported by Bristol, Leeds, Sheffield and Strathclyde, is proposing to continue a nuclear engineering doctorate programme, established in 2006, as an Industrial Doctorate Centre (IDC) in Nuclear Engineering.The broad theme areas of the Nuclear Engineering IDC are as defined in the original EPSRC call (2006) and cover Reactor Technology, Waste Management, Decommissioning, Materials, Socio-economic aspects and Safety Systems. This proposal builds on the Nuclear Engineering Doctorate programme, developed by this consortium and currently in its second year. The primary aim of the programme is to develop outstanding, vocationally oriented, Research Engineers through intensive, broadly-based training in collaboration with companies so that they are equipped to take up senior roles within the nuclear industry in support of plant life extension, new build, waste management, decommissioning & clean-up, and naval nuclear propulsion. The proposed programme will fund 50 Research Engineers in 5 cohorts. The programme comprises four elements: a Doctoral-level research project or portfolio of projects; a Diploma in Enterprise Management; Taught technical modules; and a professional development programme.EPSRC's original call for a Nuclear Engineering Doctorate Centre was in response to mounting concerns about the loss of key skills across a broad technical base within the nuclear sector. A number of reports had been commissioned (Coverdale 2002 and Nuclear Skills Task Force 2003 are just two) that formalised and quantified the issue. The focus of the original programme was on the UK's immediate concerns for nuclear decommissioning, waste management, continued operation and plant extension of current reactors, and naval nuclear propulsion. Since the launch of the nuclear EngD programme in 2006, the Government has given formal backing for a new generation of nuclear power stations to be built in the UK (announcement by John Hutton, Jan 2008) with the expectation that the nuclear share of electricity generation would be significantly above the current level of 19%. The new-build policy does not greatly change the focus of the nuclear EngD programme but it does increase the urgency for developing skilled nuclear engineers to ensure future plants are regulated, built, commissioned and run safely, reliably and efficiently. There is currently a high demand for graduates by the nuclear industry. The relevant Masters programmes in the UK (for example the EPSRC-funded Nuclear Technology Education Consortium and Birmingham PTNR programmes) report rapid take-up of almost all available students by UK nuclear companies. Nuclear research activity in the UK is also fast expanding as evidenced by: Establishment of a National Nuclear Laboratory later this year; four new Chairs in nuclear areas have recently been created in UK universities; the Northwest Science Council has endorsed Manchester's plans for a Centre for Nuclear Energy Technology and Phase I funding is being sought from the Northwest RDA; a 20m NDA/Dalton Nuclear Institute (Manchester) initiative will provide research access for UK academics to the Sellafield Technology Centre.The Nuclear Engineering IDC will be fully integrated with these activities and will continue its formal links to the EPSRC-funded KNOO (Keeping the nuclear option open) programme. Active discussions are underway with Prof. Biggs in Leeds (PI, DIAMOND project in Decommissioning, Immobilization and Nuclear Waste Disposal) to link in their activities.