June 28th, 2019 - The very last day of INI 2019 began with a lecture by Sam Thomas from the Department of Energy, and was followed by presentations (with personal remarks on the programme) by our fellows. In the evening a poster session took place and after that, this year’s INI was officially concluded with a closing ceremony.

June 27th, 2019 - We had the pleasure to welcome representatives of notable nuclear-related companies for a live-streamed discussion session: Innovation in Nuclear Energy Colloquium. For the full programme, please see the picture on the right →

For the video recording of the colloquium, please click here.

June 26th, 2019 - Our last off-site day started with a non-nuclear visit - our fellows had the chance to explore the Mystic Generating Station, a gas power plant which has the highest installed capacity in the state of Massachusetts. The second half of the day was spent in Lantheus Medical Imaging, a company that produces various types of radionuclides dedicated for medical purposes.

June 25th, 2019 - Tuesday started with a lecture by Mr. Robert Kalantari, President and CEO of Engineering Planning and Management, Inc., who talked about things to consider when addressing fire safety in NPPs; the talk was followed by a set of lectures and exercises by Dr. Peter Miraglia, Professor Adjunct at UMass Lowell, on materials in NPPs and what to put an emphasis on while choosing materials for different types of reactors. The last presentation of the day was delivered by Mr. Gashaw Gebeyehu Wolde, Programme Management Officer at IAEA, who talked about how nuclear technology positively affects e.g. agriculture in different corners of the world.

June 24th, 2019 - Monday was dedicated to the topic of NPP economics - lectures and a hands-on exercises were provided by Ms. Debra Richert and Mr. Ryan Hannink, both from Lummus Consultants International.

June 21st, 2019 - During off-site visits, our fellows had the chance to see what does is take to operate New England’s electrical grid at ISO New England, next they visited the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC) which operates as a joint venture between Boston University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

June 20th, 2019 - The whole programme today, led by
Dr. Stephen Snay, Director of Radiation Safety Department
at UMass Lowell, was focused on radiation protection and safety. After initial lecture on the topic, our fellows conducted a radiological survey in one of the labs, took smear tests, evaluated them first using Geiger-Müller counters and then using liquid scintillation technique. During the second half of the day, our fellows simulated an emergency situation during which they were dealing with a simulated dirty bomb accident.

June 19th, 2019 - Fellows spent the whole day in the Nuclear Reactor Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). First they attended a lecture given by Dr. David Carpenter and then had a tour at the reactor facility, measured neutron flux of one of the beamlines coming from the reactor, and did experiments performed on the graphite pile.

June 18th, 2019 - Today’s programme took place in Boston. It started with a discussion with members of the Harvard Belfer Center who focus on policies concerning nuclear issues - let it be non-proliferation dealings or energy production related policies. After that, we moved to Massachusetts General Hospital where several lectures on nuclear medicine - e.g. positron emmission tomography, F-18 production, image reconstruction etc. - were given.

June 17th, 2019 - Our fellows did a tour within the campus they are staying, had a chance to look at the labs and other facilities of the university, and were welcomed by Dr. Anne Maglia, the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Administration and Institutional Compliance for UMass Lowell. This was followed by a talk given by Mr. David Skeen, the Deputy Director of the Office of International Programs at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC).

June 16th, 2019 - After the successful transfer between the continents, our fellows got familiar with their new home for the next two weeks - they did a tour in mills in Lowell, Massachusetts.

June 14th, 2019 - The very last day of the Czech INI part was busy. In the morning, fellows visited DIAMO, a mining company which is responsible for dealing with elimination of consequences of uranium mining activities in the North Bohemia region. After that, they attended a lecture on US international enagement on peaceful use of nuclear energy given by Dr. Alex Burkart, Senior Level Advisor for Nuclear Energy from the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, U.S. Department of State.

In the late afternoon, fellows attended a farewell event at the Residence of the US Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Mr. Stephen King.

June 13th, 2019 - Participants attended two lectures - one on Generation IV reactors which was given by Dr. Máté Szieberth (Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary), and another one on Safeguards issues given by Dr. Sukesh Aghara (UMass Lowell, USA). The day was finished with talks given by the fellows who presented their lab work outcomes from Tuesday and Wednesday.

June 12th, 2019 - Fellows carried on with the lab experiments which were followed by a leisure event - a tour in the Velkopopovický Kozel brewery.

June 11th, 2019 - Tuesday was dedicated to lab work. Participants took part in lab sessions focused on radiochemistry and dosimetry. The programme was held at the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague.

June 10th, 2019 - Week 2 started with lectures on the role of human error in operation of nuclear power plants. The lectures were given by Mr. Carsten Wächter and Dr. Désirée Dahmen, professionals in the area of human factors and decision making. The lectures were followed by a hands-on experience - the Faber Fantasticus game, where the fellows could practise their newly gained knowledge.

June 7th, 2019 - The fellows have visited Temelín NPP. The visit was led by Mr. Petr Závodský, Head of New Nuclear Power Plants Construction Department at CEZ, and involved a tour of the secondary circuit building.

As a part of the social programme and networking activities, our participants have enjoyed an intercultural evening together.

June 6th, 2019 - The off-site day is followed with another round of lectures, this time on Fuel Cycle and Decommissioning by Dr. John Roberts (The University of Manchester, UK) and on Dosimetry & NATO Dr. Jiri Janda (University of Defence, Czech Republic).

After the lectures, the fellows carried on with work on their projects.

June 5th, 2019 - The programme on Wednesday revolves entirely around trips and visits - we have visited Rez Research Centre and also ELI Beamlines.

June 4th, 2019 - The programme continues with two lectures - the first one on Gen II and Gen III Reactors (given by INI's co-director Dr. Radek Skoda) and on Energy Security and New Build (given by Mr. Vaclav Bartuska, the Ambassador-At-Large for Energy Security at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic). The fellows have started to work on their projects within their work groups.

June 3rd, 2019 - INI 2019 has officially commenced. The fellows, mentors and other guests were welcomed at the Stirin Chateau, took a guided tour of the chateau and its charming parks, and attended a lecture on the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in supporting nuclear power infrastructure development given by Ms. Marianne Nari Fischer and Mr. Christoph Henrich (both from the IAEA).

The participant have been divided into three work groups and within the groups, they will work together on a specific issue until Thursday.

April 15, 2019 - This year’s participants have been selected.

March 19, 2019 - Applications are closed, the evaluation process is ongoing.

March 4, 2019 - INI applications opened till March 10! APPLY TODAY!

January 31, 2019 - The official application process for #INI2019 has finally begun! The application is open till February 24th, 2019. If you are interested in being part of this year's INI, please follow the application guide on our website, in particular the IAEA guide book and the IAEA video guide.

October 14, 2018 - New #INI2019 edition is here! Dates are set on 3rd - 28th June, 2019 - for more information stay up to date here and follow us on Twitter, FB, and Instagram!