Programme: IAEA Scientific Forum 2025 - Programme

Atoms for Water

16–17 September 2025
IAEA Headquarters, Vienna, Austria

TENTATIVE PROGRAMME

TUESDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2025

9:30-11:00     Opening Session

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will open the Scientific Forum 2025 with high-level speakers. They will explore how nuclear science and technology innovations can support effective and sustainable management of the world’s water systems.

11:00-11:15     Break

11:15-12:30     Session 1: Strengthening Water Resilience and Global Sustainability

This session will explore five key accelerators — data and information, capacity development, governance, financing and innovation — for advancing global water sustainability, while highlighting the role of nuclear sciences and technologies. 

12:30-13:30     Lunch break

13:30-15:00     Session 2: Quality Unknown — the Invisible Water Crisis

This session will address the accelerating global decline of water quality and will explore how nuclear and radiation based technologies can help track, reduce and treat pollutants such as microplastics and pathogens. 

15:00-15:30     Break

15:30-17:00     Session 3: Climate and Hydrological Variability

This session will examine how climate variability exerts significant pressure on global water systems, increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, and will highlight the role of the IAEA’s data networks in assessing these changes and guiding actions to sustain and optimize water resources. 

WEDNESDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER 2025

09:30-11:00     Session 4: The Role of the IAEA

By building capacity, facilitating international cooperation and delivering technical expertise, the IAEA helps Member States address growing water challenges. This session will reflect on how the IAEA helps Member States manage and protect water resources through initiatives such as Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution (NUTEC Plastics) and the Global Water Analysis Laboratory (GlowAL) Network, as well as coordinated research projects and technical cooperation. 

11:00-11:30     Break

11:30-13:00     Closing Session: Partnerships and Resource Mobilization 

The closing session will feature a high-level panel summarizing findings and discussing steps to maximize nuclear and radiological techniques in water management, including strategies for partnerships and resource mobilization. It will address global water crises, their impact and the IAEA’s role in tackling these issues, emphasizing the importance of nuclear innovation and sustainable financing to support these interventions.