Opening Remarks by Mikhail Chudakov [13. GIF-IAEA Interface Meeting, Vienna (Austria), 18-19 March 2019]

This meeting is an excellent venue to exchange information on next generation reactor development activities and to review the status of cooperation between the GIF and the IAEA. Interest in Small Modular Reactors continue to grow and many of these reactor designs are based on the advanced reactor technologies we will discuss this week. For example - the IAEA will conduct a Technical Meeting on the Benefits and Challenges of Fast Reactors of SMR Type in September, and - the joint ICTP/IAEA workshop in October will be on Physics and Technology of Innovative High Temperature Nuclear Energy Systems. We further look forward to discussing cooperation in several crosscutting areas, such as the opportunities and challenges for advanced nuclear reactors in future power markets. The Interface Meetings held so far testify to continued mutual interest and steady cooperation between GIF and the IAEA. This dialogue creates an important link between the Agency's diverse efforts to support Member States and an important international R&D collaboration among several leading nuclear technology nations.