Nuclear Operators’ Forum: Status, Strategies and Readiness for SMR Operation
SMRs are expected to play a vital role in meeting climate change and energy security objectives. Various SMR models have been proposed in the market and are characterized by fuel and coolant types, deployment models, and applications also beyond electricity production. SMRs can also offer compact, reliable heat and power for industry, off-grid mining and oil and gas industries which requires different approaches in plant operation. In this forum, a panel of experts representing the current and future operators and technology providers of SMRs will share operational strategies ensuring safe and reliable operation. Leveraging innovative technologies, selected design features and associated challenges in realizing operational strategy, also for newly envisaged industry decarbonization, will also be highlighted.
This event will be held on Thursday, 18 September 2025, from 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. in Conference Room CR3, C Building, seventh floor.
From Fellowship to Leadership: Successes of the IAEA Marie Curie Fellowship and Lise Meitner Programmes
This event will highlight the achievements of the two flagship initiatives that address the growing demand for qualified women and a more diverse workforce in the nuclear sector across Member States. It will underscore the importance of not only attracting talent but also retaining and advancing women in nuclear through targeted development opportunities, inclusive leadership, and long-term career support.
A key focus will be on the role of these programmes in building strong professional networks, fostering future leaders, and developing a sustainable talent pipeline that can meet the evolving needs of the nuclear field.
This event will be held on Tuesday, 16 September 2025, from 10.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. in Conference Room CR5, C Building, seventh floor.
INPRO 25th Anniversary
The International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. INPRO’s accomplishments will be presented with a focus on the last few years that saw the consolidation of INPRO tools into an IAEA advisory service. FRAMES V1.0 will be launched at the side event and the initiation of new activities such as Fossil-to-Nuclear will be discussed. INPRO members will be invited to present their own experiences with INPRO and their plans for future engagements.
This event will be held on Tuesday, 16 September 2025, from 4.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. in Conference Room M6, M Building, ground floor.
Planning for a Clean and Secure Future with Nuclear Energy
This side event will showcase studies made under the Atoms4NetZero initiative, modelling the role of nuclear power, for electricity generation but also heat supply. Case studies of energy transition scenarios will be presented using the IAEA supply optimisation tool MESSAGE, for two Member States, China (collaboration with CINIS) and Estonia (collaboration with the University of Tartu). Insights on the contribution of large reactors and small modular reactors to secure and clean energy transitions, will be discussed.
This event will be held on Thursday, 18 September 2025, from 2.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. in Conference Room CR4, C Building, seventh floor.
For further information on the past IAEA General Conferences, please see the General Conference Archives.