Prof. dr. Leon Cizelj is the new Acting Director of the Jožef Stefan Institute.

Be it software updates, cloud services or external analysis platforms - modern IT systems rely on a large number of digital service providers. What brings efficiency also harbours new risks: This is because attackers can penetrate deep into well-protected systems unnoticed via an inadequately protected supply chain - even in safety-critical areas such as nuclear engineering. A new GRS research project looks at how such attacks unfold, which systems are particularly at risk, and how operators can protect themselves better.

The UK Government has established a Nuclear Regulatory Task Force to examine the regulatory approach to civil and defence projects.

Copenhagen Atomics, a Danish molten salt reactor developer, and the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, Switzerland’s largest research institute for natural and engineering sciences, have signed a large-scale experimental collaboration agreement.

In recent years, drones - also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, systems or devices (UAV, UAS or UAD for short) - have become increasingly important.

Frederic Wheeler, Head of the Regulatory Support Directorate (RSD) at Amentum, has been appointed as the Second Vice President of ETSON for the next three years.

The 53rd GIF Experts Group and 59th GIF Policy Group Meetings (EG/PG) took place from April 7-10, 2025.

Subrosion, i.e. the leaching of easily soluble rocks in the subsoil, can impair the barriers of a repository for high-level radioactive waste. In a recently completed research project, scientists at GRS investigated these processes and compiled affected areas and boundary conditions in a web application. Model calculations of groundwater flow help to better assess the long-term effects of subrosion on the containment of radionuclides in a repository system.

The PSI Laboratory for Reactor Physics and Thermal-Hydraulics (LRT) conducts computational and experimental research with focus on the safety of nuclear reactors and systems. In recent years, it established the EPSILON program to coordinate and consolidate its research activities on nuclear space applications. Among other things, developments were initiated towards an open-source European platform for high-fidelity simulations and experiments dedicated to space nuclear reactors. Referred to as the openSPACE platform, its underlying concepts are a) to include not only solvers but also reference simulation models as well as experimental validation data; b) to make all of these available to the broader and combined nuclear- and space communities for usage and/or further developments. Through this, the goal is thus not only to facilitate collaborative research in this area but also to enable effective support to the European Space Agency for thorough design, safety and performance evaluations of nuclear reactor systems for in-space propulsion and/or surface power. A first development phase focused on nuclear electric propulsion was proposed and retained among the two projects selected in 2023 by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) for its MARVIS call (Multidisciplinary Advanced Research Ventures in Space) and funded by the Swiss Secretariat for Research and Innovation (SERI). This project, to be conducted via four inter-connected PhD theses, was launched in October 2024 and this marks thus a key milestone for the propulsion of PSI nuclear research towards space.

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have shown that artificial neural networks have the potential to determine very precisely the characteristics of rock layers, like their mineralogical composition, solely on the basis of drill core images. This could speed up future geological investigation efforts while simultaneously optimising costs.