The announcement comes just months after the government confirmed that Wylfa on Anglesey will host the UK's first Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor – putting North Wales at the heart of the country's clean energy ambitions.
Since first joining forces in 2022, UKNNL and Bangor's Nuclear Futures Institute (NFI) have:
• published world-leading peer-reviewed research papers.
• trained PhD researchers
• supported new talent through sponsoring lab technician and degree apprentice roles at Menai Science Park.
On Thursday 5 February UKNNL CEO, Julianne Antrobus, and Vice Chancellor of Bangor University, Professor Edmund Burke, signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) setting out how, over the next five years, the two organisations will work together to continue to grow North Wales as a global centre in nuclear expertise and technology through joint research and access to facilities to advance nuclear technologies.
Speaking at the signing, Juliane Antrobus, Chief Executive of UNKKL said: “By teaming up with universities like Bangor, we can undertake world-leading nuclear research and make sure Britain has the skilled workforce it needs for the future.
“With the announcement of the UK’s first SMR at Wylfa, we’re at the start of an exciting chapter for nuclear in North Wales.
“As the UK’s lead civil national laboratory for nuclear fission, we stand ready to work with Bangor to collaborate and support the provision of technical expertise, research capabilities and innovation to enable the successful delivery of projects like Wylfa and seize the golden age of nuclear.”
Julianne added: “What we’ve achieved together so far – from advancing research in the nuclear fuels of the future, to supporting a lab technician and a degree apprentice at the University’s Science Park, M-SParc - exemplifies how collaborations underpin our work at UKNNL to develop the nuclear skills needed to deliver on national priorities. I’m looking forward to what the next five years of collaboration will bring.”
“Renewing this partnership with the UK National Nuclear Laboratory reflects our long-term commitment to research excellence and regional impact. With the confirmation of Wylfa as the site of the UK’s first Small Modular Reactor, North Wales is entering a pivotal moment in its clean energy journey, and collaboration of this scale ensures our that students, researchers and industrial partners can contribute directly to world-class nuclear innovation. Renewing our Memorandum of Understanding will further strengthen the collaboration for the coming years."
Since 2022, UKNNL and Bangor’s partnership has delivered real results that champion and nurture advanced nuclear skills.
Together, we have pushed forward research into the nuclear fuels and materials that will power future reactors. UKNNL’s scientists and Bangor's academics have worked side by side to publish findings in leading journals, helping to build the knowledge base the sector needs.
We have also invested in people. Dr Charlotte Baxter, a lab technician we co-sponsored at M-SParc, now leads the operation of specialist testing equipment that supports cutting-edge research. Bangor has since made her role permanent. Meanwhile, we co-sponsored Iwan Hughes as a degree apprentice, gaining skills that will serve the nuclear sector for decades to come.
We have supported PhD researchers exploring the science behind next-generation nuclear technologies, helping to grow the expert workforce Britain needs.
UKNNL has applied for further funding with Bangor University to train more PhD level experts in new nuclear technologies.
