UK Japan Civil Nuclear Research Programme 2026
Forecasted
UK Japan Civil Nuclear Research Programme 2026 supports UK and Japanese researchers working together on nuclear decommissioning research to make work at Fukushima and Sellafield safer and more sustainable.
Funder: UK Research and Innovation
Due Dates (Anticipated): September 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Up to £593,750 full economic cost per project; EPSRC contributes up to £475,000 over 36 months
Summary: Supports joint UK–Japan research to make nuclear decommissioning at Fukushima and Sellafield safer, more cost-effective and sustainable.
Key Information: UK–Japan collaboration is mandatory, with separate national submissions; both components must rank highly to receive funding.
Description
The UK Japan Civil Nuclear Research Programme is jointly funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UKRI, and Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). It supports collaborative research addressing decommissioning challenges at Fukushima and Sellafield, including fuel debris removal and environmental safety around reactor core decommissioning.
The programme seeks advances in radioactive waste management, robotics, fuel debris and materials, and decommissioning technology. Its goal is to make decommissioning easier, safer, more cost-effective and sustainable. Research should help manage the legacy nuclear estate while building knowledge about how future reactors can be decommissioned at the end of their lives, supporting EPSRC’s engineering net zero ambitions.
