TOURR Project Logo

Towards Optimized Use of
Research Reactors in Europe

TOURR Final Workshop

21/09/2023 – 10,00 – 14,30

Venue: ENEN, Fondation Universitaire Stichting, Rue D’Egmont 11, 1000 Brussels, Belgium

Presentation by WP3 leader Roberta Cirillo presented at the TOURR Final workshop

AIM

This workshop goal is to present the main TOURR project results. The ‘Strategy for the Optimized Use of Research Reactor in Europe’ will be schematically presented: major findings, proposed remedial measures, suggested timeline to implement these.

The tools that the TOURR project has put in place to achieve such optimization will also be presented and workshop attendees will be invited to test them. The TOURR-Platform will be shown, and all participants will be invited to browse the website and share their feedback.

This workshop is scheduled as an ancillary meeting to the ENEN 20th birthday

BACKGROUND

TOURR is the acronym of “Towards Optimized Use of Research Reactors in Europe” project. It is a EURATOM funded coordination action among 9 partners across the European Union (EU) out of which 6 are EU research reactors operators. It is coordinated by ENEN: European Nuclear Education Network (www.enen.eu) the largest network in Europe for Education and Training.

The TOURR project is an answer to the challenge to assess the impact of the decreasing number of RRs, identify future needs (including new neutron sources), in terms of education and training, technology and medical applications; draw a roadmap for the upgrade of the existing RR fleet, and a model for harmonized resource management. Another aim of the project it is to evaluate the current and future need for neutron sources and for medical radioisotopes in Europe.

TOURR primary objective is to develop a strategy for RR utilisation in Europe and prepare the ground for its implementation. The ambition of TOURR project is to secure access and availability of RRs as a vital part of the European Research Area and to provide support to a stable supply of medical radioisotopes.

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Mid-term workshop Towards Optimized Use of Research Reactors in Europe at ERPW 2022

10/10/2022 - 10,00 - 13,00

ERPW 2022, Estoril, Portugal

TOURR primary objective is to develop a strategy for RR utilisation in Europe and prepare the ground for its implementation. The ambition of TOURR project is to secure access and availability of RRs as a vital part of the European Research Area and to provide support to a stable supply of medical radioisotopes. In the following months, aStrategy for the optimized use of European RRwill be published and an online platform will be built to allow achieving this optimization.

At this stage, the target is to start drafting the “RR utilization Optimization Strategy”.

In order to do so in the best way possible, we wish to collect the end users input in terms of needs from the medical radioisotopes producers. Our end users are represented (among others) by: medical physicists and radiation protection experts. They are the most suitable communities to provide TOURR with useful insights on how to optimize the RR resources when it comes to medical applications.

The idea behind the workshop is to make the TOURR project known, to present a very preliminary draft of the ‘Optimization Strategy’ (most likely in the form of a SWOT analysis) and ask the present attendees to give their suggestions, expresses their wishes, share their ideas and recommendation that according to them should ideally be added in the report.

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TOURR Match-making Event

The main motivations behind the organization of this event is to make the TOURR project known, to attract RR operators not yet present in the consortium as well as other relevant bodies.

It will be the 1st out of 3 events organized during the project duration. This first meeting should set the foundation to build up a community interested in the TOURR project and its outcomes.

TOURR means Toward Optimized Use of Research Reactors in Europe, the questions we are asking ourselves are “how can we achieve this optimization?” “what concrete steps do we take towards this goal?”

The TOURR Match-Making event will take place on APRIL 19th at 13:30-17:00 CET

If you wish to attend, please send an email to Roberta.cirillo@enen.eu and you will be provided with the link.

TOURR Match-making Event Agenda