Overview
The workshop will explore current and emerging isotope R&D innovations and applications that require or materially benefit from research-reactor capabilities, including neutron irradiation, activation and transmutation, reactor-produced isotopes or sources, and associated processing, characterization, and qualification infrastructure. Topics will span health and medicine, industry, energy and resources, safety and security, environment, agriculture, science, space, quantum technologies, and other advanced areas, with a focus on enabling innovation for emerging or strategically important isotopes.
The workshop will bring together researchers, producers, users, industry, academia, government, and other stakeholders to identify capability gaps, technical requirements, and opportunities for collaboration. Discussions will inform early planning under the Pan-Canadian Multi-Purpose Research Reactor (PAC-MPRR) initiative, including future Technical Working Group (TWG) activities and input to the Comprehensive Business Case for the MPRR.
In the recently-released Nuclear Energy Strategy for Canada, the Federal Government indicated that it will leverage the MPRR Alliance to support consideration of the case for a large-scale research reactor to replace the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor — meeting the needs of the R&D community and industry across nuclear and non-nuclear applications. In addition, the strategy commits to the development of a comprehensive Radioisotope Strategy which will cover medical, industrial, agricultural, and next-generation technology applications (including quantum computing), and will encourage continued Indigenous equity partnerships in the isotope sector.
Workshop scope: The workshop is focused on isotope R&D innovations and applications, and enabling infrastructure that require or materially benefit from research-reactor irradiation, neutron activation or transmutation, reactor-produced isotopes or sources, and associated processing, characterization, and qualification capabilities. Complementary platforms and existing capabilities may be discussed where relevant to understanding capability gaps, technology-transfer pathways, and where future multipurpose research reactor capabilities would be essential, uniquely enabling, or not readily available through existing Canadian or international platforms. The workshop is not intended to address commercial supply planning.
Workshop Objectives
The workshop will:
- Discuss current and emerging isotope R&D innovations and applications that depend on, or materially benefit from, research-reactor capabilities.
- Identify technical requirements for reactor-enabled isotope R&D, including irradiation conditions, target handling, transfer systems, radiochemistry, characterization, qualification, and supporting infrastructure.
- Distinguish where research-reactor capabilities are essential, uniquely enabling, or not readily available through existing Canadian or international platforms.
- Define how a future multipurpose research reactor could support isotope innovation and R&D through complementary irradiation, target-development, processing, characterization, qualification, demonstration, and technology-transfer capabilities.
- Gather stakeholder input to inform PAC-MPRR requirements, working group activities, and the Comprehensive Business Case.
Who Should Participate
This workshop welcomes participation from:
- Researchers working in isotope science, target development, reactor irradiation, radiochemistry, characterization, qualification, nuclear data, and related modelling activities.
- Isotope producers, users, and organizations involved in medical, industrial, environmental, agricultural, security, research, and emerging isotope innovations and applications.
- Operators and users of research reactors, irradiation facilities, hot cells, processing facilities, analytical laboratories, and source-fabrication capabilities.
- Industry, academic, laboratory, government, regulatory, public-safety, standards, and metrology stakeholders interested in isotope R&D capabilities and long-term infrastructure planning.
- Students and early-career researchers interested in isotope science, research-reactor applications, and the supporting technical workforce.
Participants will have opportunities to raise needs, identify capability gaps, and contribute to panel discussions and structured input-capture activities.
