BIOPROTA is a collaborative research Forum, managed and supported financially by a Sponsoring Committee. The Sponsoring Committee is coordinated by a Chairperson, currently Kat Raines (NWS).

Sponsoring Committee
Academic Members
Administrative & Technical Support

Sponsoring Committee


Agence Nationale pour la Gestion des Déchets Radioactifs (ANDRA)

Contact: Yves Thiry

ANDRA is responsible for the management of radioactive waste in France.

Visit ANDRA Website

Belgian Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC)

Contact: Maryna Surkova

The Belgian Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) is an independent safety authority. Its task, on behalf of the government, is to regulate nuclear safety and radiation protection in order to protect the public, workers and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation today, tomorrow and in the (far) future. With regard to radioactive waste management the Agency is responsible for assessing safety, licensing and supervising safety.

Visit FANC Website

Belgian Nuclear Research Center, Foundation of Public Utility (SCK.CEN)

Contact: Jordi Vives i Batlle

With a view to sustaining development by R&D programmes, training, communication and services, SCK.CEN contributes to:

  • nuclear safety and radiation protection;
  • medical and industrial applications of radiation;
  • the backend of the nuclear fuel cycle.

Visit SCKCEN Website

Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS)

Contact: Alexander Diener

The Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS)) is a scientific-technical federal authority affiliated with the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. Its competence includes radiation protection, nuclear safety and nuclear waste disposal. Specifically, BfS is responsible for the planning, licence application and operation of nuclear waste depositories in Germany.

Visit BFS Website

Electricité de France (EDF)

Contact: Beatriz Lourino-Cabana

EDF is the main producer of electricity in France. The Laboratoire National Hydraulique et Environnement (LNHE) department works on migration of pollutants in the ground, waste management, water quality, soil contamination, ecotoxicology, ecology, microbiology, health risk assessment, and also fluvial and maritime hydraulics, resource management, industrial flows and combustion, meteorology and air quality.

Visit EDF Website

L’Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN)

Contact: Rodolphe Gilbin

IRSN is the nation’s public service expert in nuclear and radiation risks, providing assessments and conducting research to meet the needs of public authorities. IRSN has particular expertise in environmental radiation monitoring and human radiation protection, prevention of major accidents in nuclear facilities and reactor safety, nuclear defence and, safety associated with radioactive transport and waste treatment.

Visit IRSN Website

JGC Corporation

Contact: Kunihiro Nakai

Visit JGC Website

Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD)

Contact: Mi-Seon Jeong and Kungil Jung

Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD) is the dedicated implementing organisation for radioactive waste management business in Korea. The KORAD has a broad spectrum of missions in the area of transportation, storage, and disposal of LILW, interim storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel, construction and operation of radioactive waste management facilities, and administration of radioactive waste management fund.

Visit KORAD Website

Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI)

Contact: Minjeong Kim

KAERI is developing the Korean reference concept for permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste including spent nuclear fuel and assessing the long term post-closure safety and repository performance.

Visit KAERI Website

National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra)

Contact: Priska Hunkeler

Nagra has more than 30 years’ experience in the development of disposal concepts for all categories of radioactive waste. Over the years, Nagra has built up extensive technical know-how and has applied this in site characterisation and performance assessment of deep geological repositories.

Visit NAGRA Website

Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA)

Contact: Jelena Popic

The Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) is the competent national authority in the area of radiation protection and nuclear safety in Norway and is responsible for overseeing the use of radioactive substances; coordinating contingency plans against nuclear accidents and radioactive fallout; monitoring natural and artificial radiation in the environment; and increasing knowledge of the occurrence, risk and effects of radiation.

Visit DSA Website

Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO)

Contact: Antoine Boyer

NWMO is responsible for implementing a national approach across Canada for the long-term management of used fuel.

Visit NWMO Website

Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan (NUMO)

Contact: Keisuke Ishida

NUMO is the implementing body for the final disposal of vitrified high-level waste packaged from the spent fuel reprocessing plant. It is a government approved organization responsible for identification of a disposal site, and for the construction, operation and maintenance of the repository, closure of the facility, and post-closure institutional control.

Visit NUMO Website

Nuclear Waste Services

Contact: Simon Norris (GDF Programme) and Sam Stead (Low Level Waste Repository)

Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) is part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) group.  NWS is responsible for implementing a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) for the permanent disposal of higher activity radioactive waste in the UK, as well as operating the Low Level Waste Repository in Cumbria (which has been functioning since the 1950s) and ensuring that lower activity radioactive waste is managed effectively across the UK.

Visit Nuclear Waste Services Website

Posiva Oy

Contact: Lauri Parviainen

Posiva is responsible for the management of disposal of spent fuel produced in power reactors in Finland, including siting, licensing, construction and operation of the repository.

Visit Posiva Oy Website

Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB (SKB)

Contact: Ulrik Kautsky

SKB is responsible for management of Swedish radioactive waste, planning of waste repositories, waste logistics and site selection, including safety analysis, research and development of methods.

Visit SKB Website

Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM)

Contact: Maria Nordén

SSM is a government authority with the task of protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation. It ensures that the risks and benefits inherent to radiation and its use are compared and evaluated and is responsible for deciding on the dose limits for the general public and for workers exposed to radiation.

Visit SSM Website

Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI)

Contact: Philip Schaedle

ENSI, the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate, is the national regulatory body with responsibility for the nuclear safety and security of Swiss nuclear facilities. ENSI is the successor body to HSK from whom it took over on 1 January 2009. The regulatory mission with respect to radioactive waste disposal consists of the following tasks: to assess proposed solutions and supervise the preparation for geological disposal of radioactive waste, to review the licence applications in accord with the stepwise implementation process; to supervise the transport of radioactive material to and from nuclear installations; to supervise surface facilities and underground installations of deep geological repositories; and to supervise the safety of staff and the public and their protection from radiation.

Visit ENSI Website

United States Environmental Protection Agency

Contact: Dan Schultheisz

Visit EPA Website


Academic Members

The following are academic members of the BIOPROTA forum.


Clemson University

Contact: Dr Nicole Martinez

Visit Clemson University Website

KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Contact: Anders Worman

Visit KTH Website

Norwegian University of Life Sciences

Contact: Professor Deborah Oughton

Visit UMB Website

Oregon State University

Contact: Professor Kathryn Higley

Visit OSU Website

University of Eastern Finland

Administrative and Technical Support

RadEcol Consulting and Quintessa have been appointed to provide administrative and technical support to the sponsoring committee, project leaders and participants.


How to Participate

Participation by additional technical organisations in the various BIOPROTA working groups is invited. For further information use our contact form.

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