Review Article

Overview of knowledge management in EURAD

¹ TB Environmental Services, 46 Molesworth Street, Cookstown, Tyrone, UK
² Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK CEN Academy, SCK CEN, Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium
³ European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre, Unit G.I.6 Research on Decommissioning and Waste Management, P.O. Box 2340, D-76125 Karlsruhe, Germany
⁴ Nuclear Waste Services, Building 329 West, Thomson Avenue, Harwell Campus, Didcot, OX11 0GD, UK
⁵ SÚRAO, Dlážděná 6, 11000 Praha 1, Czech Republic
⁶ COSIRAD, 42 Avenue des Bambous, 44300 Nantes, France
⁷ VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Box 1000, FIN-02044 Espoo, Finland
⁸ IRSN, 31 Avenue de la Division Leclerc, 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex, France
⁹ Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung mbH (BGE), Peine, 31224, Germany
¹⁰ Andra, 1-7 Rue Jean-Monnet, 92298 Châtenay-Malabry Cedex, France
¹¹ Zuidema Consult GmbH, Oberwiesenweg 28, 5436 Würenlos, Switzerland

^* e-mail: paul.carbol@ec.europa.eu

Received: 6 May 2022
Received in final form: 19 July 2022
Accepted: 16 August 2022
Published online: 27 October 2022

Abstract

Knowledge management is a core activity for the European Member States (MSs) implementing the Council Directive EC 2011/70/EURATOM. Twenty-one MSs and two associated countries have mandated their respective radioactive waste management, safety and research organisations to contribute to the European Joint Programme on Radioactive Waste Management (EURAD). EURAD has established a Knowledge Management and Networking Programme which supports the capturing of knowledge and its transfer among organisations, Member States and generations. EURAD as a Joint Programming has an utmost advantage, compared to individual projects, as it provides:

• processes for knowledge sharing, for example interaction between the different radioactive waste management (RWM) actors to find out what is already known and what is most useful to investigate further.

• Resources and people to develop new knowledge and/or to support preservation of existing knowledge at risk, for example access to experts, networks and communities of practice.

• Tools and technology capable of handling different forms of knowledge, with a focus on socialising, signposting and aggregating existing knowledge sources.

This paper intends to describe the role of knowledge management and networking in EURAD, how knowledge generated by EURAD Workpackages and RWM organisations is captured and how we provide added value to MSs. Furthermore, it explains how we cooperate and work together towards common knowledge preservation goals with the EC PREDIS project, IAEA and OECD/NEA, to avoid duplication of work and maximise impact.