The UK National Nuclear User Facilites Working Group

The UK National Nuclear User Facility initiative explores opportunities for new investment in active handing and analysis facilities in support of rebuilding the national capabilities for nuclear research. The NNUF Working Group contains members from Manchester, Lancaster, Leeds, Edinburgh, Sheffield and Oxford Universities, the National Nuclear Laboratories (NNL) and Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE), EPSRC, BIS, DECC and Imperial College. The focus of the work of NNUF over the period of the grant will be on planning the most effective deployment of funds released by the government for the improvement of the UK's nuclear research facilities, including making these facilities available to the widest possible user base.

The grant provides support costs for the work of the NNUF Working Group. This includes some administrative support, and travel funding for the working group to attend meetings in the UK and to make a limited number of visits to international nuclear facilities to see how they are operated to encourage a wide external user base.

NNUF undertakes two main activities - (i) inviting and prioritising proposals for shared active facilities for consideration by BIS and EPSRC, and (ii) generating regular reports on the status and utilisation of these facilities for stakeholders. The Chancellor's 2014 Autumn Statement included a commitment to "£60 million to extend the capabilities of the National Nuclear Users Facility" , reinforced in the 2015 Autumn Statement in the list of 2019-20 Key project completions. The primary impact that the NNUF Working Group will have in the next 24 months is to ensure that this allocation of public funding is put to best use to the benefit of the UK's nuclear renaissance.