Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) has announced the launch of the Canadian Nuclear Research Initiative (CNRI), to enable research and development to accelerate the deployment of small modular reactors in Canada.
CNL will issue an annual call for proposals inviting organisations to submit projects that fall within a list of designated focus areas. These include market analysis, fuel development, reactor physics modelling, transportation, and others. Participants will be able to optimise resources, share technical knowledge, and access CNL’s expertise to help advance the commercialisation of SMR technologies.
“CNL has made tremendous progress over the past few years as an advocate for SMR technology and is helping to facilitate its development here in Canada. We believe that CNRI will help continue this momentum,” commented Mark Lesinski, CNL President and CEO. “This new programme will provide qualified applicants with the opportunity to leverage these resources to drive innovation in the development of this much-needed low carbon energy technology.”
“Through CNRI we are supporting mission-critical R&D that will accelerate the deployment of SMRs while strengthening connections with industry, growing our team and attracting commercial opportunities,” noted Kathryn McCarthy, CNL’s vice-president for Science and Technology.
Corey McDaniel, CNL’s chief commercial officer, said that since CNL launched its SMR programme a few years ago, it has received "tremendous interest" from companies and organisations all over the world. He added: “Bringing this technology from design through to readiness for deployment is a major undertaking, and requires a substantial investment into research, testing and development. CNRI will help nuclear innovators and entrepreneurs share these costs, so we can collectively benefit from this new, emerging market.”
