Today, the DOE announced $38 million in new Nuclear Energy University Programs awards going to 42 university-led R&D projects for awards totaling $38 million.
The projects cover four subject areas:
Fuel Cycle R&D ($11.8 million): Developing novel technology options that will improve used fuel storage, recycling and disposal options.
Gen IV Reactor R&D ($19.9 million): Advanced reactor concepts, including fuels, materials, and reactor modeling; investigation of small and medium-sized reactor concepts; and modeling and simulation, structural materials, energy conversion, instrumentation and control, and innovative manufacturing.
Light Water Reactor Sustainability ($0.8 million): Improving the reliability and sustainability of current reactors through understanding of fundamental aging and degradation behavior in reactor materials; improving inspection and monitoring technologies and development of advanced fuels; and improving safety-margin characterization and life-extension decision making.
Mission-Relevant Investigator-Initiated Research ($5.6 million): “Blue sky” research in engineering, nuclear and health physics, materials science, radiochemistry and nuclear chemistry.
Here are the numbers:
| University | Subject Area | Award (millions) |
| Cal State | Fuel Cycle R&D | $1.3 |
| Clemson | Fuel Cycle R&D | $0.61 |
| Drexel | Fuel Cycle R&D | $1.15 |
| Idaho State | Fuel Cycle R&D | $0.65 |
| Penn State | Fuel Cycle R&D | $1.38 |
| RPI | Fuel Cycle R&D | $0.81 |
| Florida | Fuel Cycle R&D | $0.89 |
| Michigan (2) | Fuel Cycle R&D | $0.93 |
| Fuel Cycle R&D | $0.41 | |
| Missouri, Columbia | Fuel Cycle R&D | $0.54 |
| Nevada | Fuel Cycle R&D | $0.99 |
| Wisconsin | Fuel Cycle R&D | $0.62 |
| Washington State | Fuel Cycle R&D | $1.45 |
| Georgia Tech | Gen IV Reactor R&D | $1.05 |
| Idaho State | Gen IV Reactor R&D | $1.29 |
| Johns Hopkins | Gen IV Reactor R&D | $1.18 |
| Ohio State | Gen IV Reactor R&D | $1.37 |
| Penn State | Gen IV Reactor R&D | $1.00 |
| RPI | Gen IV Reactor R&D | $0.48 |
| California, Berkeley | Gen IV Reactor R&D | $1.32 |
| California, Santa Barbara | Gen IV Reactor R&D | $1.00 |
| Cincinnati | Gen IV Reactor R&D | $0.83 |
| Michigan (2) | Gen IV Reactor R&D | $1.00 |
| Gen IV Reactor R&D | $1.18 | |
| Minnesota (2) | Gen IV Reactor R&D | $1.37 |
| Gen IV Reactor R&D | $0.85 | |
| Missouri | Gen IV Reactor R&D | $0.70 |
| Nevada | Gen IV Reactor R&D | $0.45 |
| South Carolina | Gen IV Reactor R&D | $1.37 |
| Washington | Gen IV Reactor R&D | $0.90 |
| Wisconsin (3) | Gen IV Reactor R&D | $1.35 |
| Gen IV Reactor R&D | $0.53 | |
| Gen IV Reactor R&D | $0.65 | |
| Mississippi State | Light Water Reactor Sustainability | $0.35 |
| North Carolina State | Light Water Reactor Sustainability | $0.42 |
| Idaho | Investigator-Initiated Research | $0.60 |
| North Carolina State | Investigator-Initiated Research | $1.13 |
| Penn State | Investigator-Initiated Research | $0.87 |
| California, Berkeley | Investigator-Initiated Research | $0.38 |
| Cincinnati | Investigator-Initiated Research | $1.24 |
| Michigan | Investigator-Initiated Research | $0.80 |
| Wisconsin | Investigator-Initiated Research | $0.54 |