Industrial Doctorate Centre: Nuclear Engineering

由曼彻斯特大学领导、伦敦帝国理工学院合作、布里斯托尔大学、利兹大学、谢菲尔德大学和斯特拉斯克莱德大学支持的一个英国大学联盟，正在提议继续一个2006年建立的核工程博士项目，作为核工程工业博士中心（IDC）。核工程IDC的广泛主题领域在最初的EPSRC呼叫（2006）中定义，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。该提案建立在核工程博士项目的基础上，该项目由该财团开发，目前已进入第二年。该计划的主要目标是通过与公司合作的密集，广泛的培训，培养杰出的，以职业为导向的研究工程师，使他们具备在核工业中担任高级角色的能力，以支持工厂寿命延长，新建，废物管理，退役和清理以及海军核推进。拟议的计划将资助5个组别的50名研究工程师。该计划包括四个要素：博士级研究项目或项目组合；企业管理文凭；讲授技术模块；以及专业发展计划。EPSRC最初呼吁建立一个核工程博士中心，是为了回应人们对核部门广泛技术基础中关键技能流失的担忧。许多报告（2002年的Coverdale和2003年的核技术特别工作组只是其中的两份）已经正式并量化了这个问题。最初计划的重点是英国对核退役、废物管理、现有反应堆的持续运行和工厂扩建以及海军核推进的直接关注。自2006年启动核能工程计划以来，政府已正式支持在英国建造新一代核电站（由约翰·赫顿宣布，2008年1月），期望核能发电的份额将大大高于目前19%的水平。新建政策并没有大大改变核能工程项目的重点，但它确实增加了培养熟练的核工程师的紧迫性，以确保未来的核电站得到安全、可靠和高效的管理、建造、调试和运行。目前核工业对毕业生的需求很大。英国相关的硕士项目（例如epsrc资助的核技术教育联盟和伯明翰PTNR项目）报告称，英国核能公司几乎迅速吸收了所有可用的学生。英国的核研究活动也在迅速扩大，证据如下：今年晚些时候建立了一个国家核实验室；英国各大学最近设立了四位核能领域的新主席；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，第一阶段的资金正在向西北RDA寻求；NDA/道尔顿核研究所（曼彻斯特）的一项2000万英镑的计划将为英国学者提供进入塞拉菲尔德技术中心的研究机会。核工程IDC将与这些活动充分整合，并将继续与epsrc资助的KNOO（保持核选择开放）计划保持正式联系。目前正在与利兹的比格斯教授（钻石退役、固定化和核废料处理项目的PI）进行积极讨论，以便将他们的活动联系起来。

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.