Education, training and mobility, knowledge management: towards a common effort to ensure a future workforce in Europe and abroad

Review article, 2023

Continuous and future-oriented education and training as well as knowledge management for young talents are required for the safe and reliable operation of nuclear reactors and nuclear facilities in Europe. A dedicated line of collaborative projects addresses the specific needs, such as lack of personnel (project ENEN+: “attract, retain and develop new nuclear talents beyond academic curricula”). State-of-the-art approaches and in-depth knowledge are provided when it comes to reactor physics (project GRE@T-PIONEeR: “graduate education alliance for teaching the physics and safety of nuclear reactors”) or nuclear radiochemistry (project A-CINCH: “augmented cooperation in education and training in nuclear and radiochemistry”). A highly skilled nuclear engineer must undergo experimental work to better observe theoretical principles at work. Following the ENEEP (European nuclear experimental educational platform) initiative, a network of research reactors and special laboratories is made available for performing such activities. Another issue found is that the results of Euratom-funded research activities are spread across multiple platforms and websites making it difficult to find relevant information within a reasonable timeframe. Such a situation requires the application of knowledge management actions. The PIKNUS project aims to define a concept of a knowledge management method and tool to improve the sharing and availability of Euratom research results. All projects successfully demonstrate that European collaboration could address certain needs to attract, develop and retain young talents in future-oriented nuclear fields.