IAEA and SCK•CEN Academy to cooperate deeper in education, training and research

The Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK•CEN) has concluded a Practical Arrangement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for cooperation in education and training of students and nuclear professionals.

Preserving and extending nuclear knowledge, skills and competences at the service of society is a key function of the SCK•CEN Academy for Nuclear Science and Technology. Extensive experience in nuclear science and technology, performing innovative research and the availability of large and unique nuclear facilities make the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre an important partner for education and training, both in Belgium and at an international level.

The arrangement between SCK•CEN and IAEA constitutes a structural framework for future activities with emphasis on:

• Participation of SCK•CEN in IAEA research projects.

• Participation in expert missions to assess applications from countries requesting support from the IAEA, and missions of the agency in the area of nuclear knowledge management, education and training.

• Exchange and dissemination of knowledge and information relevant to countries that have recently initiated nuclear energy programmes or will do so in the future.

This agreement between SCK•CEN and the IAEA sets the framework for the next three years. The SCK•CEN Academy for Nuclear Science and Technology led by Dr Michèle Coeck is in charge of coordinating and implementing the various activities. Dr Coeck: “We have been working together constructively in the area of education and training for some time now and even more intensively since the SCK•CEN Academy was set up in 2012. The agreement is an official acknowledgement of our expertise. We will strengthen our ties with the IAEA and work together even more closely and extensively in the future."

SCK•CEN Academy for Nuclear Science and Technology​

The SCK•CEN Academy provides opportunities for Bachelor and Master students, PhD candidates and any professional interested in enriching his or her nuclear competences. Post-doc positions are also available. Teaching and research supervision are provided by members of the SCK•CEN research team. They share their knowledge ‘from the frontiers of nuclear science’ and oversee practical exercises that can be carried out using our centre’s nuclear facilities. Final-year pupils and teachers can also count on the SCK•CEN Academy.