The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has awarded more than $14 million in grants through its Nuclear Education Program.
The 48 grants awarded for fiscal year 2013 (1 October 2013 to 30 September 2014) go to 36 higher education institutions in 24 states. They will be used for scholarships, fellowships, trade school and community college scholarships and faculty development, NRC said.
A panel of NRC staff and expert reviewers from academia and industry reviewed all the grant proposals.
Almost 60% of the funding went towards scholarships ($2.1 million) and fellowships ($6.4 million) at US higher education institutes.
A third ($4.7 million) of the grants were for faculty development at twelve US universities. The top amount of $450 million was awarded to seven institutions: Clemson University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, University of Illinois, University of Michigan and Virginia Commonwealth University.
The remaining $1 million in grants were divided between seven trade schools and community colleges.
NRC's Nuclear Education Program has awarded almost $107 million in grants since 2007. These latest grants "will help to develop a future workforce capable of designing, constructing, operating and regulating the next generation of nuclear facilities," NRC said.
A full list of grants awarded is posted on the NRC's website.
