Overview of knowledge management in EURAD

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: 1) 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; 2) 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; 3) Tools and technology capable of handling different forms of knowledge, with a focus on socialising, sign-posting 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. (authors)