The University of Bristol has agreed a £7.6m partnership with energy giant EDF to develop new ways of assessing the condition of nuclear power stations in a bid to help the Government meet its net-zero targets.
The organisations are planning to develop digital tools that can be used to examine the condition of components of energy generators, such as nuclear plants, and the need for maintenance or remedial work.
A total of £3.4m will be provided by EDF; £1.7m by the University of Bristol; and £2.4m by the Government through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) - part of 海角视频 Research and Innovation.
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The partnership, known as Synergistic utilisation of INformatics and Data centRic Integrity engineering (SINDRI), will work with nuclear industry supply chain organisations to develop the tools.
The project will also involve experts from the University of Manchester; Imperial College London; The Alan Turing Institute; The Henry Royce Institute; and the Science and Technology Facilities Council Scientific Computing Department.
Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “By using digital innovation to assess large energy generators such as nuclear power plants, this ingenious collaboration spearheaded by EDF and the University of Bristol will ensure the successful operation of low carbon energy generation buildings, helping the 海角视频 to meet its net-zero ambitions.
“This is part of our efforts to put the funding and structures in place to ensure we build back better through innovation, drive local economic growth and cement the 海角视频’s status as a science superpower.”
It is one of nine new partnerships which will bring together experts from business and research institutions – from Unilever to the Francis Crick Institute - to develop innovations to help the 海角视频 to meet challenges such as tackling climate change and boosting medical research.
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A total of £75.2m, from Government, business, and academia, is being invested into the business-led collaborations, which will develop products and technologies to drive economic growth and potentially create highly skilled jobs.
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The Government has said it would raise economy-wide investment in research and development to 2.4% by 2027.
Professor David Knowles, principal academic investigator for the partnership and chief executive of the Henry Royce Institute, said: “This research is central to the enhancement of our understanding of material behaviour which will help us attain the Government’s target of reducing the cost of new nuclear by 30% by 2030, ensuring the delivery of reliable, low-carbon energy.”
Dr Ionel Nistor, head of nuclear R&D at EDF, added: “SINDRI will develop digital tools to help the 海角视频 nuclear sector and other industries to reduce costs and ensure safety when designing, building and operating strategic assets.”