RONEN -ROmanian Nuclear Higher Education and Training Network: a challenge for the Romanian sustainable nuclear energy development

From "Atom" to Cernavoda NPP, 4x700MWe- CANDU PHWR, through knowledge and power of the mind.

RONEN (ROmanian Nuclear Higher Education and Training Network) is a joint initiative of Romanian Universities, Nuclear Research Institutes, SMEs, NGOs and the Regulatory Body. Its aim is to coordinate the partners’ efforts in order to strengthen their institutional capability to ensure higher quality nuclear education and training, in accordance with the EU and European Nuclear Education and Training Network requirements.

The main purpose of this project is to assist the RONEN consortium to define, based on Romanian and European documentation, a proposal regarding the strategy and future development programmes relating to nuclear E&T in Romania. It also seeks to establish a national framework to ensure that there will be highly qualified staff to operate the new CANDU reactors currently under construction in Romania.
 
According to latest developments, two new CANDU-PHWR reactors will be in operation at Cernavoda NPP until 2016 and a new NPP is estimated to be built by 2025.

The partners who started this networking initiative are:

• IFIN-HH-National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering-Horia HULUBEI -Coordinator

• University Politehnica Bucharest (UPB)

• University of Bucharest – Faculty of Physics

• BABES–BOLYAI University Cluj (UBB)

• UPIT-University of Pitesti

• ICN-Institute for Nuclear Research Pitesti

• S.C. DOZIMED S.R.L

• S.C. ASCENDIA DESIGN S.R.L.

• AREN-Romanian "NUCLEAR ENERGY" Association

• CNCAN-National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control

• BNEN-Represented by SCK*CEN, Mol, Belgium

The project will address the topics of FP7 Euratom from nuclear engineering, radioactive waste, nuclear safety and new reactor concepts to radiological protection and medical applications of nuclear energy.

The project milestones are: The Proposal for a Romanian Nuclear Education and Training Strategy, a Methodology for Self - Evaluation Reports, Joint Pilot Course(s) and the establishment of RONEN.

RONEN’s main objectives are as follows:

• To evaluate the needs and current status of Romanian nuclear higher education and training and to coordinate joint efforts to establish a National Framework

• To define a national strategy proposal for nuclear E&T harmonised with EU requirements

• To enhance the learning technologies and courses for both online (e-learning) and onsite training

• To develop a knowledge database to efficiently exploit the project results and to disseminate the knowledge

• To perform the preparatory work (feasibility study) to set up a national network as a “mirror group” of the European Education and Training Network - (ENEN) and as a corporate adviser and support for the National Authorities and Beneficiaries

A communications and dissemination strategy will be established as part of the project, to spread the knowledge and to share the project results. A dedicated website www.ronen.ro has already been created and will be operational soon.

RONEN is designed to comply with ENEN and other European initiatives in the field of nuclear higher education and training, to implement EURATOM requirements and to harmonise the Romanian nuclear E&T system with the European methods and practices in order to assure its quality validation and recognition.

ENEN’s mission is to preserve and further develop expertise at the European level in the nuclear field through higher education and training. RONEN will have the same mission at national level.

RONEN will be part of the European system of nuclear higher education and training and will promote European nuclear E&T cooperation and integration.

The  project partners are the most significant actors in Romania’s academic and nuclear research fields, together with important contributions to the development of nuclear E&T from the regulatory body, NGOs and SMEs, the first national consortium implementing ENEN rules and BNEN (represented by SCK*CEN).

All consortium members are committed to maintaining the development of the project as a sound basis for strengthening their E&T capability and will allocate their most qualified staff and equipment to help achieve the objectives of the project. This consortium represents the “core group” of the future entity to be developed. However, RONEN will be open to all eligible institutions which intend to join the consortium as part of a “users’ group”.

RONEN is also supported by the National Authority for Scientific Research (ANCS), the utility SN NUCLEARELECTRICA SA (SNN) and the Romanian Atomic Forum (ROMATOM), all of whom are potential beneficiaries of the project’s results.

The project will satisfy requirements regarding nuclear E&T expressed by the Nuclear Agency during the last "NucInfoDay 2009-Human Resources-the Key for Sustainable Development of Nuclear Energy" (see below)