UK Japan Civil Nuclear Research Programme 2026
Forecasted
UK Japan Civil Nuclear Research Programme 2026 supports UK and Japanese researchers collaborating on research to make nuclear decommissioning at Fukushima and Sellafield safer, more cost-effective and sustainable.
Funder: UK Research and Innovation
Due Dates (Anticipated): September 2027 (Closing date)
Funding Amounts: £950,000 total fund; projects up to £593,750 FEC, with EPSRC funding up to £475,000; up to 36 months
Summary: Supports collaborative UK–Japan research to make nuclear decommissioning at Fukushima and Sellafield safer, more cost-effective and sustainable.
Key Information: UK-based researchers must collaborate with Japan-based researchers, with separate proposals submitted by each country’s partners.
Description
The UK Japan Civil Nuclear Research Programme is jointly funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, and Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). It targets decommissioning challenges at Fukushima and Sellafield, including fuel debris removal and environmental safety around reactor-core decommissioning.
The programme supports research into radioactive waste, robotics and autonomous systems, fuel debris and materials, and decommissioning technology. Its goal is to make decommissioning easier, safer, more cost-effective and sustainable. Advances should support both the management of legacy nuclear sites and eventual end-of-life management of new reactors, contributing to EPSRC’s engineering net zero priorities and the UK’s ambitions to expand nuclear capacity.
