The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award nearly $64 million to 89 projects for advanced nuclear energy technology to DOE national laboratories, industry, and 39 US universities in 29 states.

The awards are dispersed under three DOE nuclear energy programs: the Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP), the Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET) program, and the Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF) program.

Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP). DOE is awarding $47 million through NEUP to support 63 US university-led nuclear energy research and development projects in 29 states. An additional $5 million is being awarded under NEUP to support 18 university-led projects for research reactor and infrastructure improvements. These projects will provide important safety, performance, and educational upgrades to a portion of the nation’s 25 university research reactors.

Nuclear Energy Enabling Technologies (NEET). DOE is awarding $5 million under the NEET program for five research and development projects led by DOE national laboratories, industry, and universities. Together, they will conduct research to address crosscutting nuclear energy challenges that will help to develop advanced sensors and instrumentation, advanced manufacturing methods, and materials for multiple nuclear reactor plant and fuel applications.

Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF). Under its NSUF program, DOE has selected one industry-led and two university-led projects to investigate important nuclear fuel and material applications. These projects will receive $6.6 million in total for research, facility access costs, and expertise in the following topics: experimental neutron and ion irradiation testing, post-irradiation examination facilities, synchrotron beamline capabilities, and technical assistance for design and analysis of experiments through the NSUF program.