Brief report of the JAEA cooperative research (A) on the nuclear fuel cycle for 2007

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) started the JAEA Cooperative Research Scheme (A) of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle in 1995 in order to promote research collaboration with universities and other research institutes (referred to as 'universities, etc.' below), which means that the fiscal year 2007 was the thirteenth year of the scheme. The purpose of this scheme is to promote the basic and fundamental research that precedes the research and development projects in relation to the establishment of nuclear fuel cycle technology through collaboration with universities, etc. by using mainly JAEA's facilities and equipment. Under the scheme, universities, etc. propose methods and ideas, etc. to lead to the achievement of the goals of research collaboration themes which are set by JAEA as research collaboration subjects. Then a screening committee consisting mainly of experts independent of JAEA screens the research collaboration subjects. Research collaboration is performed by carrying out cooperative research with universities, etc. or by accepting researchers from universities, etc. as Visiting Research Fellows at JAEA. The scheme allows students studying for doctorates at postgraduate schools either to participate in the cooperative research or to be accepted as trainee researchers. This report includes a summary of the results of the research carried out in fiscal year 2007 on 32 research collaboration subjects for preceding basic engineering research related to fast breeder reactors, the nuclear fuel cycle, radiation safety and geological disposal/geoscience; twelve of which ended in 2007. Of these, six were related to fast breeder reactors, two to the nuclear fuel cycle, and two to geological disposal/geoscience. (author)