The second phase of the SUSEN sustainable energy project – supported by EU co-financing – involves the installation of technological instruments in a sustainable energy research and development (R&D) centre in the Czech Republic. The centre was created under the first phase of the project.
- 28 August 2017
The installation is spread over several sites in the South-West and Central Bohemia regions which together comprise the R&D facility. Work at the centre is focused on natural sciences and engineering, particularly in relation to the use of ionising radiation and nuclear energy.
The centre provides 128 jobs, 60 % of which are for scientific research staff. Around 55 students and graduates will also be involved in its activities each year.
Phase one of the project comprised construction of two new buildings and extension or reconstruction of five existing ones. The total area of the facilities is 8826 m².
A multi-disciplinary project with practical applications
Thanks to its multi-disciplinary nature, the project generates opportunities for education, research and developmental synergies linked to ionising radiation and nuclear energy, as well as other research activities. The results will be applied practically in the sustainable energy sector.
The project represents a major step forward for R&D infrastructure in Central Europe and establishes close working relationships within the European Research Area. This is a unified research area based on the European Internal Market which allows researchers, scientific knowledge and technology to circulate freely. It enables the EU and its Member States to strengthen their scientific and technological foundations and competitiveness, as well as improving research performance so as to promote growth and create jobs.
Adjustments following the Fukushima disaster
At the outset, the infrastructure was expected to be completed by December 2015. However, the aftermath of the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, brought about changes in policy and requirements in the nuclear energy sector.
Therefore, it was necessary to adjust the scope of the centre’s research activities. As a result, the instrumental technologies will be put into operation from mid-2017.
In all, more than EUR 30.58 million has been spent on the facilities in phase two of the project, of which, around EUR 24.15 million has come from EU funds. Over both phases, total funding totalled over EUR 112 million.
The centre should play a key role in shaping the future of Europe's energy supplies by ensuring that top-class researchers get the support they need to compete in a globalised environment. It should also help to strengthen technological development and innovation, particularly in the South-West and Central Bohemia regions and in Central Europe as a whole.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “SUSEN: Sustainable energy. Phase II” is EUR 30 583 773, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 24 150 011 through the “Research, Development and Education” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period.