Provision of National Nuclear Research & Development Programme

UK Government are aiming to improve the coordination of nuclear R&D across the UK. This project will coordinate the continuation of the Nuclear Innovation Research Office (NIRO) in line with the Nuclear Industrial Strategy and Roadmap by December 2013.The NIRO will:• Act as the delivery body of the Nuclear Innovation Research Advisory Board (NIRAB)• Coordinate nuclear innovation R&D activity and communications within and between Government and industry• Carry out gap analysis in order to provide advice on R&D programmes required to meet strategy objectives based on advice from NIRAB• Log nuclear innovation and R&D to ensure that results are not lost • Assist UK industry in exploiting products and services, eg by driving up nuclear exports across new build, operations and maintenance, fuel cycle services and decommissioning • Maintain the forum for coordinating nuclear R&D across Government; • Provide single point of contact for nuclear innovation funding opportunities;• Liaise with Government on a monthly basis on opportunities for economic growth and / or in support of energy policy; • Liaise with industry on areas of commercial opportunity • Act as the secretariat to NIRAB;• Carry out analysis that will provide evidence on which to base the content of national programmes • Manage UK representation in international R&D fora e.g. Euratom.

Additional information: This contract was awarded via a VEAT (Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency) notice for the following reasons: The works/goods/services can be provided only by a particular tenderer for reasons that are: Technical Due to the nature of the service required, it is essential that NIRO is a source of independent, impartial advice for UK nuclear R&D stakeholders. The National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) is a Government-owned facility set up as a result of there being no other provider of the broad-ranging independent advice required on nuclear R&D issues. It has a strategic role to act on behalf of UK Government in an independent and authoritative way and is uniquely qualified to provide wholly independent advice to Government.The Nuclear Industrial Strategy stated that NNL will host NIRO as an independent supplier of impartial advice to UK Government. This approach was developed, discussed and agreed with key stakeholders (Nuclear Industry Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and Universities) prior to publication and is line with the recommendations from the House of Lords’ and NNLs strategic role to act on behalf of UK Government in matters related to nuclear R&D. This approach has been further endorsed by a number of supporting statements from nuclear industry and academia