Priority topics of FMR

1. Synthesis and characterisation of actinide-containing materials relevant for the assessment of nuclear safety standards (oxides, ceramics…).
2. Safety-related characterisation of new forms of nuclear fuels, including molten salts.
3. Laboratory simulation of nuclear power plant severe accident conditions.
4. Advanced methods for the synthesis of nuclear material assemblies, for Generation IV nuclear power plants, including transmutation targets, or for space applications.
5. Exploratory research for the development of new scientific concepts, measurement techniques, testing of new equipment or materials.

Eligibility criteria

• The Lead User Institution and User Institutions (see definitions in the Framework) must be from an EU Member State, or country associated to the Euratom research programme.
• The scope of the work for nuclear RIs must be in line with the activities defined in Annex I of Council Regulation (Euratom) 2021/765.
• The Lead User Institution must be from a university, research or public institution, or from a Small-Medium-Enterprise (SME).
• User Institutions from international organisations, under the condition that the Lead User Institution and at least 2/3 of all the User Institutions (including the Lead User Institution) are located in a Member State or a country associated to Horizon Europe or to the Euratom research programme. In case of one or two User Institutions (including the Lead User Institutions), this requirement is only applied to the Lead User Institution.
• Ethical considerations in accordance with EU Law, in particular Art. 19 of Regulation (EU) 2021/695, and applicable laws and regulations in the EU Member States.
• The proposal submission form is complete and complies with the instructions.

Selection criteria

Proposals will be evaluated in accordance to the following selection criteria:

• Scientific implementation (50 points)
• Collaboration and access to new Users (20 points)
• Strategic relevance (30 points)

How to apply

The proposal must be prepared using the Relevance-driven Proposal Submission Form.

During preparation of the proposal, applicants are encouraged to:

• Read the "Framework for Access to the physical Research Infrastructures of the JRC" and its annexes.
• Contact the research infrastructure at JRC-ACTUSLAB-KARLSRUHE@ec.europa.eu to specify the level of experience of the User(s) to perform related tests and to assess feasibility aspects related to the capacity of the research infrastructure concerning:
  • Materials,
  • Test parameters,
  • Specimen geometry.

Proposals should be submitted to JRC-RI-OPEN-ACCESS@ec.europa.eu by the closing date of the call.

The User Selection Committee will only evaluate proposals that are complete and comply with the instructions in the proposal submission form.