Nuclear Innovation Prize 2025: Celebrating scientific excellence with direct societal impact

The European Commission just awarded the Nuclear Innovation Prize to seven outstanding proposals. The prize recognises their innovative contributions to safety in nuclear reactor systems, radioactive waste management and radiation protection.

In total, 28 proposals were evaluated by independent experts based on originality, technical excellence, market potential and alignment with EU objectives. The Nuclear Innovation Prize, organised under the Euratom Research and Training Programme, aims at supporting and highlighting European excellence in research and innovation with direct societal impact.

The prize covers three categories, with first, second and third places in two of them.

Category: Safety of Reactor Systems

• 1st Prize (€50,000) Mr Ahmed BENTAIB (ARSN/CEA, France)
  COMOS - Innovative containment monitoring system for severe accident management.
  A real-time, distributed gas monitoring system using Raman technology to improve decision-making in reactor containment during severe accidents.
• 2nd Prize (€30,000) Mr Arnaldo LABORDA (ASVAD INTL SL, Spain)
  ASVAD valve - The best passive element to avoid the undesired effects of nitrogen in the PWR reactors.
  A passive safety valve that mitigates nitrogen injection risks in pressurised water reactors, enhancing accident response strategies across Europe's dominant reactor type.
• 3rd Prize (€20,000) Mr Máté SZIEBERTH (Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden)
  COSINE_NU - Continuous signal-based neutron noise and multiplicity.
  A next-generation neutron fluctuation analysis method improving core monitoring and diagnostics under complex reactor conditions.

Category: Radioactive Waste Management

• 1st Prize (€50,000), Ms Virginie SOLANS (Uppsala University, Sweden)
  MODENA - Model for decay heat prediction using non-destructive assay
  A novel model using gamma spectrometry of key radionuclides to predict decay heat in geological repositories, enhancing safety and design strategies.
• 2nd Prize (€30,000) Mr Ladislav VARGOVCIK (Technical University of Košice, Slovakia)
  STARGATE - Robotic system for fragmentation of steam generators.
  An automated system capable of dismantling large reactor components - such as a 140-tonne steam generator - safely and efficiently, reducing cost and radiation exposure.
• 3rd Prize (€20,000) Mr Riccardo CHEBAC (GRAPHICORE, Italy)
  GC - Innovative vacuum-grabbing tool for graphite-moderated reactors decommissioning and sustainability.
  A precision robotic tool designed for the safe extraction of graphite bricks, preventing fragmentation and reducing human intervention in hazardous environments.

Category: Radiation Protection

• 1st Prize (€50,000) Ms Charlotte CAMILLERI (ISYMAP, France)
  SAFER - A way to achieve affordable large-scale radiological survey network.
  A mobile, low-cost sensor network enabling continuous, real-time radiation monitoring across urban, industrial and medical sites to improve personnel and public protection.

The Nuclear Innovation Prize award ceremony took place on 14 May during the FISA-EURADWASTE 2025 held in Warsaw under the auspices of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Nuclear Innovation Prize

The Nuclear Innovation Prize supports the European Union's efforts to foster a culture of innovation in nuclear research, in line with the goals of the current Euratom Research and Training Programme. The prize promotes the translation of advanced research into practical solutions contributing to nuclear safety, sustainability and competitiveness.

Euratom Research and Training Programme

The Euratom Research and Training Programme (2021-2025) is the EU's nuclear research and training programme. It emphasises the continuous improvement of nuclear safety, fusion and fission research, radioactive waste management and geological disposal. It also has a strong emphasis on radiation protection, on open access to research infrastructures, education and training, and international cooperation. It supports the energy transition objectives of Horizon Europe, the EU's research and innovation programme, as well as the implementation of the European fusion and fission roadmaps. FISA-EURADWASTE

FISA-EURADWASTE is the Euratom flagship conference on reactor safety and radioactive waste management. The 2025 edition is organised in partnership with the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) and the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNETP).