15 Jan
Education and training

ESTA: International Workshop on the Future Role of SMRs, AMRs and their Applications

📅 Date: March 3 to 7, 2025

NEW DATE: October, 2025
📍Location: Chateau de Cadarache, Cadarache, France

Join us for this international workshop (in English) on the role and applications of SMRs, AMRs, where nuclear innovations meet Europe’s energy evolution. The workshop will allow you to explore the integration of these advanced technologies into current and future energy mixes. An event organized by I2EN, ENEN and INSTN, with industrial and institutional experts, in a friendly working environment. Don’t miss the exhibition showcasing developments by leading French SMR and AMR developers!

Objectives

The workshop intends to equip participants with a thorough understanding of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) as innovative nuclear technologies. The workshop covers the evolution of SMRs from traditional reactor designs for electricity production to the emergence of new applications. The program will explore the integration of SMRs/AMRs into diverse energy systems and their role in complementing existing energy mixes, emphasizing their adaptability and scalability. Participants will gain insights into the life cycle of nuclear power plants, from design and construction to operation, decommissioning, and waste management, with a particular focus on the SMR/AMR paradigm.

The objective is then to bring new technologies to the attention of professionals from various backgrounds expressing interest in exploring the emerging SMR/AMR market, and to explore associated design aspects, market opportunities and technological challenges.

Target audience

This course is open to a maximum of 25 participants.

Applicants must be PhD students or professionals in the following fields/activities:

  • Studies and design of SMRs / AMRs,
  • Electricity generation and supply,
  • Electro-intensive industries (agro-industry, petrochemicals, paper producers, foundries, suppliers of decarbonation solutions, etc.)
  • Suppliers to the nuclear industry,
  • Public authorities, nuclear safety authorities.

The course will also be open to professionals from other industrial sectors in transition to the nuclear sector.

Application

📧 To take part in this training course, candidates must submit a curriculum vitae and a letter of motivation to contact@i2en.fr.

Participant selection criteria are based on :

  • experience and relevance to the field of work/research,
  • the motivation to participate expressed in the cover letter.

All applications will be treated equally, irrespective of nationality, ethnicity, gender, language, religion, etc.

Selected candidates will receive a link to register.

📣 DEADLINE: January 26, 2025 NEW DEADLINE: TBC

Registration fees

The registration fee for this course is €1,000* per participant.

A 50% discount will be offered to PhD students.

* These fees include lunches, but do not include dinners, travel or accommodation costs.

ENEN can sponsor up to 20 scholarship holders as part of its ENEN2+ mobility program to cover registration, travel and accommodation costs (see below).

Hosting

Accommodation for all participants has been reserved at the Château de Cadarache from 8pm on Sunday March 2 to the morning of Friday March 7.

The rate per participant is €104.02 per night, including breakfast and dinner*.

The IBIS STYLE Marseille Aéroport hotel has also been booked for the evening of Friday March 7 at a rate of €93.45 (dinner not included) to facilitate participants’ return.

* Dinner on Sunday, March 2 is not available. Participants will need to plan their dinner before arriving at the Château.

Transport

Participants must travel to Aix-en-Provence by their own means:

  • By air: Marseille Provence airport,
  • By train: Aix-en-Provence TGV station or Aix-en-Provence station,
  • By bus: Aix-en-Provence bus station.

Transport to the Château de Cadarache on Sunday March 2 is included and will be provided by bus.

The bus will leave Marseille Provence airport at 19:30 and stop at the Aix-en-Provence TGV station at 19:40, and at the Aix-en-Provence bus station at 19:50.

Transport from the Château de Cadarache on Friday March 7 is also included, and will be provided by bus.
The bus will leave the Château at 18:00 for the IBIS STYLE Marseille Aéroport hotel, stopping at the Aix-en-Provence bus station at 18:50, and at the Aix-en-Provence TGV station at 19:00.

Fellowships

Are you a PhD student or young professional with less than 10 years’ experience (international applicants only)?
In this case, you can apply for one of the 20 ENEN2+ grants to cover registration fees (€500), travel expenses (€400) and accommodation costs (€500).

Eligibility for ENEN2+ support is subject to the following conditions:

  • PhD students and young professionals applying for cross-border mobility support, aiming to advance their knowledge, skills and experience needed to enable or enhance their careers in the nuclear disciplines supported by ENEN2+ (nuclear engineering and safety, waste management and disposal, SMR and AMR).
  • Doctoral students and young professionals will be selected according to the rules of the selection committee.


Applicants eligible for the financial support provided by the ENEN2+ project are, in accordance with the ENEN2+ mobility rules, persons carrying out a transnational mobility action:

  • citizens of any EU member country wishing to travel abroad (to another EU country or anywhere else), or
  • citizens of non-EU countries who are studying in an EU member state and have an established relationship with the host institution.