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Publish Date : 11-May-2016

R&D framework contracts worth up to 12 million were awarded to a series of consortia, as NDA seeks innovative solutions to technical challenges.

Among the organisations involved are UK universities, global corporations and around 20 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The NDAs Direct Research Portfolio (DRP) forms a key part of the NDAs strategic research programme and focuses on direct funding for research that delivers innovation across multiple sites, develops technical expertise and informs NDAs strategy.

Following a 5-month procurement process, the 3 new framework contracts were awarded to 10 consortia, involving over 70 organisations and including 3 consortia led by SMEs. The contracts, last awarded in 2012, will cover the next 4 years.

NDA Research Manager Yvonne Morris said, "It was very pleasing to see so many SMEs being engaged in the process and being part of successful consortia. Overall we were delighted with the high quality of the submissions and look forward to working with the organisations on our strategic R&D programme. We now have new multi-supplier contracts aligned with our key strategic themes. With many new organisations involved for the first time we will have broad input into addressing our R&D requirements".

The procurement was launched via a supplier day, aimed to engage smaller businesses in the process and facilitating establishment of consortia to bid for the contracts. Participation was also facilitated by use of the OJEU process and promotion via the NDA website. The contracts were split into 3 lots: Lot A University Interactions, Lot B Integrated Waste Management and Site Decommissioning and Remediation, Lot C Spent Fuels and Nuclear Materials, Lot A supports the NDAs University Research Strategy while Lot B and C support four of NDAs strategic themes.

The DRP contracts will also address cross-industry R&D requirements identified by the Nuclear Waste and Decommissioning Research Forum. DRP projects often lead to more extensive R&D projects carried out by Site Licence Companies (SLCs) and the supply chain. The combined annual R&D spend by NDA and SLCs is typically more than 85 million.

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