On October 23, 2024, Rosatom Technical Academy and the IAEA signed an agreement to extend the Academy’s status as an IAEA Collaborating Centre in the field of nuclear knowledge management and human resources development and to expand the programmatic areas of collaboration. The Agreement was signed on the sidelines of the first International Conference on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and their Applications held in Vienna, Austria, from 21 to 25 October, 2024.
On the part of the Academy, the document was signed by Yuri Seleznev, Rector of Rosatom Technical Academy, on the part of the IAEA it was signed by Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy, Lydie Evrard, Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, Najat Mokhtar, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications.
As part of the Agreement, Rosatom Technical Academy has not only extended cooperation with the IAEA in nuclear energy, nuclear security, nuclear sciences and applications, but also has expanded its areas of collaboration to small modular reactors, medical physics and radiopharmaceutical. Thus, the Academy becomes the first and so far the only IAEA Collaborating Centre for nuclear knowledge management and human resources development in five programmatic areas, including a new area of small modular rectors (SMR).
“The expansion of programmatic areas of collaboration with the IAEA is, first of all, the recognition of the highest competencies of Russia in the development, design and construction of small modular reactors and the development of nuclear medicine. Moreover, it is another evidence of the IAEA’s credibility in the programmes implemented by Rosatom Technical Academy in the field of knowledge management and human resources development,” commented Yuri Seleznev, Rector of Rosatom Technical Academy.
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Rosatom Technical Academy is a modern Centre of Excellence for nuclear industry professionals. The Academy provides professional retraining of managers and specialists of the nuclear power engineering and nuclear industry, certification of personnel, as well as scientific and methodological support to ROSATOM’s organisations in the field of ensuring safe use of atomic energy, supervision, state security, operational and supporting processes.
The IAEA’s Collaborating Centres scheme supports Member States in achieving Sustainable Development Goals. IAEA Collaborating Centres are IAEA Member States institutions conducting scientific research, R&D activities and personnel training. When designating such centres and prolonging the collaboration, the IAEA evaluate their ability, potential and readiness to contribute to specific projects and activities according to the IAEA’s programme.
As an IAEA Collaborating Centre since 2019, Rosatom Technical Academy has been organizing schools, workshops, and training courses for specialists from the countries embarking on nuclear power programmes. In 4 years under the Agreement, over 80 international events have been held and 1410 people from 61 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America have been trained. In 2020, out of 46 Collaborating Centres, Rosatom Technical Academy became the first IAEA Collaborating Centre working in three programmatic areas.
