Reflecting the IAEA's commitment to higher education and training in the nuclear sciences, a ceremony was held in Vienna, 17 September 2013, to formalize a Practical Arrangement between the IAEA and the University Institute of Advanced Studies of Pavia (IUSS). The arrangement covers the establishment of education networks which will encourage the development of a competent nuclear workforce. This workforce will operate and maintain facilities for nuclear science and applications (medical, food and agriculture and other industrial applications), as well as tomorrow's nuclear power facilities.
A major goal of the Practical Arrangement is to ensure that more students from developing countries are attending nuclear-related undergraduate and postgraduate courses of the University Institute of Advanced Studies of Pavia. The IAEA supports this effort by disseminating educational materials, developing training courses, and arranging an exchange of teachers and experts, including senior IAEA professionals. A number of other novel approaches to support higher education and training are also outlined in the Practical Arrangement.
Alexander Bychkov, Deputy Director General of the IAEA Department of Nuclear Energy, and Roberto Schmid, former Director of the Pavia Institute, signed the Practical Arrangement during a short ceremony held at the 57th IAEA General Conference.
In a short statement, Deputy Director General Bychkov referred to educational institutions as "one of the most important contributors to the goal of sustaining Nuclear Knowledge." For his part, Roberto Schmid elaborated on the University of Pavia's rich history in nuclear science.