High-assay low-enriched uranium metal (HALEU) is a critical resource required for the operation of research reactors and the production of pharmaceutical radioisotopes. Its availability is essential for advancing nuclear energy safety, materials science, basic scientific research, and the performance of about 40 million nuclear medicine procedures worldwide each year. Until recently, EU has relied on Russia and the USA for its supply of HALEU. Russian supplies are expected to be unavailable for an extended period, and the future availability of US supplies remains uncertain: it is thus imperative for EU to establish its own HALEU production capacity. The PreP-HALEU initiative represents a preparatory phase aimed at producing essential components and evaluating the technical pathways for establishing this capacity in EU. This project consortium brings together all key stakeholders, including enrichment companies, fuel manufacturers, research organizations, and medical radioisotope producers. Through this collaborative effort, PreP-HALEU intends to: • Generate substantial technical, economic, and regulatory information to support the decision-making process. • Foster alignment among the countries and parties involved in establishing a EU HALEU capability as a shared asset. Within the framework of PreP-HALEU, the quantitative requirements for HALEU metal will be updated, and working groups will delve into enrichment, metallization, and transportation considerations. The integration of these elementary bricks will be extensively discussed to create a coherent project dynamic and consistently consolidate results into an executive summary, a key input for the decision-making phase. The PreP-HALEU project, initiated in response to the NRT01-11 call for proposals, is a cornerstone in the establishment of a EU production capacity for metal HALEU. It plays a pivotal role in securing activities in the fields of research, healthcare, and innovation throughout EU.

Critical Raw Materials (CRM), incl. Platinum-Group Metals (PGM), are key to enable Europe to meet its 2030 climate and strategic autonomy objectives. Global demand is constantly growing for CRM, the diversification of EU supply is thus imperative to reduce dependencies and improve EU capacity to rely on sustainable value chains. PARCOVALs aim is to leverage the recognised catalytic capabilities of radioactive PGM (specifically the palladium -Pd) to demonstrate their potential for use and market. PARCOVAL will create 2 circular loops from 2 wastes: 1) recover Pd from spent nuclear fuel (today vitrified and considered a nuclear waste) and 2) reuse the CO2 produced by an existing industry. Pd will be extracted from streams generated in a spent nuclear fuel recycling plant and valorised as catalyst to perform CO2 electroreduction into CO. Performances achieved into CO conversion will be compared between radioactive Pd and natural Pd catalyst at industrial scale (100cm2 electrodes integrated in electrolyser). Catalytic mechanisms involved will be studied to explain the contribution of radioactive radiation during CO2 reduction. The CO2 will be supplied by industrial production units of anaerobic digestion. Focus will be on the characterisation of the CO generated and the non-radioactive gas contamination to consider a transfer into a non-nuclear environment plant will also be demonstrated. A use case to valorise the CO will be studied to produce succinic anhydride which can be incorporated in polyesters through copolymerisation. PARCOVAL will conduct a Life Cycle Analysis to compare environmental impacts of using radioactive Pd and mining extracted Pd to produce succinic anhydride. Moreover, a preliminary business model will be performed and the market potential of target group will be defined. PARCOVAL will also issue best-practice framework to ensure the safety and security of PGM use in the industry, including radioprotection, traceability and collection after use.

The project aims to establish and clarify the benefits and added value of more aligned and harmonised regulations and standards for prioritised topics related to decommissioning and initial phases of radioactive waste handling, including shared processing facilities between Member States (MS). The project has a two-phase approach: first engaging with Stakeholders to assess needs and pros/cons for harmonisation and identify priority areas for deeper analysis (WP2). The second phase will pursue deeper engagement with Stakeholders to further assess the highest ranked priority areas in Work Packages (WP) focusing on (i) cross border services and cooperation (WP3), (ii) circular economy (WP4), and (iii) advanced technologies (WP5). These WPs will review (inter)national practices, capture lessons learned, and assess opportunities. WP6 on Regulatory Framework will identify regulatory differences between MS and evaluate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with harmonisation, while quantifying the benefits of aligned regulations and proposing harmonisation methodologies. The project will: - support coordination between Stakeholders, - enhance existing commitments to facilitate sharing and exchange of knowledge and experience, - develop strategies for shared treatment and storage facilities, cross border services and cooperation, and explore additional mechanisms to build capacity in MS, - assess and clarify the benefits and any disadvantages of harmonisation, - deliver S&T-based solutions and share best practices by engaging and supporting coordination between different actors through the TSOs and regulators, - define conditions and opportunities of a high safety circular economy. The action will reinforce the activities of the EURAD, PREDIS, and SHARE projects, while encompassing MS national programs and the wider European Community, including i.e. ERDO, ENSREG, WENRA, IAEA, OECD NEA, IGDTP, SNETP, DigiDecom.

SNETP is an European technology platform, founded in 2007 as a stakeholder forum recognised by the European commission to act as a key actor in driving innovation, knowledge transfer and European competitiveness. Its main role is develop research and innovation agendas and roadmaps for action at EU and national level to be supported by both private and public funding. It mobilises various stakeholders to deliver on agreed priorities and share information across the EU. SNETPs is focused on nuclear fission technologies, but it also fosters networking opportunities and international cooperation in order to address cross-sectorial challenges. SNETP has a mature structure reflecting these three strategic themes in its three pillars: NUGENIA, ESNII and NC2I which have well-established programs and governance (thanks to dedicated EC funded projects) for succeeding in their missions: The aim of SNETP-FORWARD project is to help the association consolidating its structure, strengthening it’s position in the Set-plan and among the European ETIPs, enhancing it’s ability to interact with the European and International associations and organisation and last but not least to be engaged in the innovation world by boosting the innovation capacities of its members.

The goal of the MICADO project is to propose a cost-effective solution for non-destructing characterization of nuclear waste, implementing a digitization process that could become a referenced standard facilitating and harmonizing the methodology used for the in-field Waste Management and Dismantling & Decommissioning operations. The D&D process of nuclear infrastructures demands methods for a full traceability of waste material to improve quality management and operational safety. Precise procedures provide twofold benefits: the optimization of costs, associated with D&D, and the minimization of the dose exposure to operators and personnel. The absence of a consistent and straightforward solution to characterize all types of materials, along with the lack of an integrated solution for digitizing the enormous amount of data produced, is a critical issue. Now the systems rely on the operator’s ability to maintain high operational skills and quality assurance with precision measurements that unfortunately today very often are associating high uncertainties not allowing therefore a real optimization of the waste. The utilization of several un-automatized instruments implies taking many notes and inserting them into specific ad-hoc format and on a database manually, without the possibility to combine data including previously available legacy data’s if present. The RCMS Digi-Waste solution proposed in the MICADO project will result in a proven modular solution offering an opportunity to proactively develop a unified and standardized Waste NDA Characterization Procedure and Method that could become an international reference allowing all Nuclear Operators - Research Laboratories & Safety Authorities to facilitate their exchanges. The MICADO project involves some key EU players with major knowledge in nuclear waste having all in common the interest to converge in technologies, methods and implementing a full digitization process applied to nuclear waste management.