BIOPROTA is a collaborative research Forum, managed and supported financially by a Sponsoring Committee. The Sponsoring Committee is coordinated by a Chairperson, currently Alexander Diener (BfS).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
JGC Corporation
Contact: Kunihiro Nakai
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.
Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI)
Contact: Jongtae Jeong
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.
LLW Repository Ltd
Contact: James Ridehalgh
LLW Repository Limited is the current Tier 1 management and operations contractor on the Low Level Waste Repository Site and manages the day-to-day activities on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).
National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Nagra)
Contact: Thomas Kaempfer
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.
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.
Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Radioactive Waste Management Limited (NDA, RWM)
Contact: Ray Kowe
Radioactive Waste Management Limited (RWM) is responsible for supporting Government policy by developing and advising on safe, environmentally sound and publicly acceptable options for the long-term management of radioactive materials in the UK.
Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO)
Contact: Paul Gierszewski
NWMO is responsible for implementing a national approach across Canada for the long-term management of used fuel.
Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Japan (NUMO)
Contact: Mrs Shibutani
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.
ORANO
Contact: Michael Minet
The COMURHEX Malvési plant receives uranium from all over the world in the form of ore concentrates known as “yellow cake”, or oxide, contained in steel drums. At the plant, the processing of uranium concentrate is converted to uranium tetra-fluoride as one of the early stages of nuclear fuel manufacture.
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.
Slovenian Agency for Radioactive Waste Management (ARAO)
Contact: Sandi Viršek
ARAO, the Slovenian Agency for Radioactive Waste Management, is the primary national agency in Slovenia responsible for management of radioactive waste, including: collecting, transporting, processing and treatment for storage, and disposal of radioactive waste.
The Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (SÚRAO)
Contact:Ing. Iveta Kroulíková
The Radioactive Waste Repository Authority (SÚRAO) is a state organisation established under § 26 of Act no. 18/1997 Coll., on the peaceful utilisation of nuclear energy and ionising radiation (the Atomic Act) and on amendments to certain other Acts.
SÚRAO’s mission is to ensure the safe disposal of existing and future radioactive waste in compliance with the requirements of nuclear safety and human and environmental protection.
Upon the adoption of the Atomic Act the state assumed responsibility for the safe disposal of radioactive waste. In accordance with this Act SÚRAO, as a state organisation, provides a variety of services relating to the safe handling of all types of radioactive waste and the coordination of research and development in the field of radioactive waste management including the deep geological repository development project.
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.
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.
Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI)
Contact: Jürgen Hansmann
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.
ÚJV Rez
Contact: Hana Hustakova
ÚJV Rez (Nuclear Research Institute Rez) is a key research and engineering company in the field of nuclear energy, providing a wide range of services, including radio-analyses, material science, waste management and disposal, and commercial production of radiopharmaceuticals and engineering services.
UJV is revising and developing a GoldSim model for a deep geological repository safety assessment in crystalline rock (under the lead of SURAO, the Czech implementer). The effort has been recently focused on the modelling of the geosphere – biosphere interface zone and accumulation of radionuclides in agricultural and forestry soil.
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Academic members
The following are academic members of the BIOPROTA forum.
Clemson University
Contact: Dr Nicole Martinez
Clemson University website
Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Contact: Professor Deborah Oughton
UMB website
Oregon State University
Contact: Professor Kathryn Higley
OSU website
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. Pathway Environment provides website management services in support of this function.
Participation by additional technical organisations in the various BIOPROTA working groups is invited. For further information use our contact form.