Like many other international bodies, the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) has been closely monitoring the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and adapting its work practices accordingly. GIF members continued to advance the forum’s programme of work with innovative approaches and many meetings have been conducted via video conference, including the recent meetings of the GIF Policy and Expert Groups.
The groups discussed the creation of a cross-cutting Task Force on Non-Electrical Applications of Nuclear Heat (NEANH), as well as a Knowledge Capitalisation and Preservation in Education and Training Working Group (ETWG). The GIF Senior Industry Advisory Panel also proposed eight recommendations to explore ways to create a perennial framework to collaborate with the global nuclear industry. These recommendations cover four main topics : Public and governmental recognition and acceptance, Research data structuring, Technology acceptance and multi-national pre-licensing and Global GEN IV research infrastructures.
The NEA serves as the Technical Secretariat for GIF, which is a co-operative international endeavour organised to carry out the research and development (R&D) needed to establish the feasibility and performance capabilities of the next generation of nuclear energy systems. Six systems are being developed in GIF: the gas-cooled fast reactor (GFR), the lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR), the molten salt reactor (MSR), the sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), the supercriticalwater-cooled reactor (SCWR) and the very-high-temperature reactor (VHTR).