Among the actions recently put in place as a follow-up to the positive voting of two parliamentary motions on nuclear in May 2023, in November 2023 the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security decided to allocate funds to revamp the national R&D program in the nuclear field. The new program, called Program for Nuclear Research (PNR) and ideally foreseen for the years 2024-2026, will be developed along four main thematical axes:

• R&D for nuclear fission for the short-medium term
• R&D for nuclear fusion for the longer term
• Organization of a nation-wide formation/information campaign on nuclear technologies
• R&D for non-power applications of nuclear technologies

A total amount of 135 M€ has been allocated for the three-years period, with a quota specifically dedicated to the development of professional, technical, and specialized skills, to university education, learning, and to the sharing of knowledge.

The definition of the detailed PNR actions has been carried out by ENEA, together with the National Council for Research (CNR), and in agreement with the Ministry.

Priority has been given to the consolidation and strengthening of existing experimental infrastructures, or the development and creation of new ones. ENEA and CNR have also been identified as the main beneficiaries of the grant.

Within the scope of R&D for nuclear fission, the identified priority and attention topics are SMRs and AMRs. For SMRs it is foreseen to strengthen experimental infrastructures that could be dedicated both to R&D&I and to support safety analyses and assessments of T/H systems (active or passive). For example, modernization, enlargement and strengthening of some facilities at the SIET laboratories in Piacenza are foreseen, as well as refurbishment of facilities to test pressure-suppression systems in the ENEA/Casaccia laboratories. For AMRs, facilities will be developed to study protective coatings, to study the manipulation of LFR fuel assemblies, or to devise new LFR-dedicated technologies. In addition to this, some activities will also be carried out in support of nuclear data necessary to the design of LFRs. Of great importance will be the actions to be implemented for formation and information. Three main lines are foreseen: organization of information meetings in various territorial areas, information campaigns on different media, and education and training for students. The outcomes of this new Program for Nuclear Research will be evaluated in 2027, hoping that its benefits for the whole Italian nuclear ecosystem will pave the road for future development activities.