safe^ND 2023: The second BASE research symposium

The Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE) hosted the second international research symposium on the safety of nuclear waste management safeND at Café Moskau in Berlin from 13 to 15 September 2023.

The conference allowed scientists from a wide range of disciplines to present their research findings on the safe handling and disposal of radioactive waste, including both intra- and interdisciplinary discussions. The aim was also to identify open research questions and needs.

Impressions safeND 2023

Welcome speech by BMUV State Secretary Stefan Tidow to the audience in the main conference room. Source: BASE

Focus topic safe^ND 2023

Research for resilient safety: Gaps, Progress and Priorities

Safety in nuclear waste management means considering all conceivable scenarios, making relevant provisions, and establishing viable communication processes. In the recent past, however, we have observed how scenarios and crisis situations that previously hadn’t been sufficiently considered suddenly became a reality: We are experiencing a pandemic that temporarily brought public life to a standstill, we are witnessing warlike attacks on nuclear facilities, attacks on critical infrastructure and, last but not least, global climate changes that also affect nuclear safety.

With regard to safety in nuclear waste management, which is associated with extremely long time horizons, we thus need extraordinarily resilient systems – at technical, institutional and social level. Where are we today, and what knowledge gaps are we aware of? What knowledge have we gained in recent years? And what priorities are at the top of the agenda for the international research landscape in the years to come?

In addition to the focus topic, safe^ND will encompass the following topic range in the context of nuclear waste management safety:

• Decommissioning of nuclear facilities
• Interim storage, conditioning and transport of radioactive waste
• Site selection and final disposal of high-level and low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste
• Safeguards and non-proliferation
• Alternative disposal methods
• Communication processes, long-term information preservation and semiotics
• Participation processes
• Historical, economic and legal analyses

Target group

The symposium is aimed at national and international scientists, and explicitly invites young scientists from technical and natural science disciplines as well as from the humanities and social sciences, in particular: Natural Sciences, Engineering, Participation and Communication Sciences, Sociology, Political and Economic Sciences, History, Science and Technology Studies.

The conference language will be English.

Registration

The registration period ended on 21.8.2023.

Your participation

Call for contributions: The call for contributions was closed in April 2023. The program is expected to be published at the end of June/beginning of July. Further information about the sessions/workshops/panels can be found here.

Scientific Committee

A scientific committee will review the submitted topic proposals and support BASE in the selection process. The committee consists of national and international experts in the field of nuclear waste management.

Program and keynote speakers

We are pleased to announce that the symposium will include keynote addresses from world-class experts. Information about the program and keynote speakers can be found here.

Venue and time

The symposium will take place at Café Moscow in Berlin. safeND will start on September 13, 2023 at 9 a.m. and end on September 15, 2023 in the afternoon. An icebreaker is planned for the evening of September 12, 2023.

You can find helpful information about traveling to Berlin at visitberlin.de.

Contact

If you have any questions regarding content or organisation, please contact symposium@base.bund.de.

Source: BASE

Research 1st Research symposium: safeND 2021

From 10 to 12 November 2021, the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management (BASE) invites you for the first time to the research symposium safeND. The event is an invitation to all scientists to present and discuss their research results related to nuclear waste management, fostering interactions and conversations beyond just their own disciplines.

more2021.05.26