NEXT
Nuclear Expediting the Energy Transition (NEXT) was announced by U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry at the Three Seas Initiative Summit in Bucharest, Romania in September 2023. NEXT is a subprogram that provides technical assistance to eligible partner countries under the U.S. Department of State’s Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) initiative. Like other cooperation under the FIRST program, NEXT supports nuclear energy countries, as well as prospective newcomers, as they establish secure and safe civilian nuclear programs in support of their energy security and climate goals under the highest standards of nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation.
The NEXT One Stop Shop is a project under NEXT that offers eligible partner countries a suite of advanced preparation tools and services through a virtual application platform. Support provided may include:
- in-person technical, financial, and regulatory consultancies and advisory services;
- expert study tours to visit U.S. nuclear facilities, national laboratories, and universities;
- competitively selected provision of an SMR simulator to support workforce development as a regional training hub; and
- university-to-university partnerships for curriculum development, faculty and graduate student and other educational exchanges to support the next generation of nuclear engineers, operators, and technicians who prioritize the highest international standards of nuclear security, safety, and nonproliferation.
NEXT also includes the following special project, for which new applications are not being solicited at this time:
Project Phoenix aims to accelerate the global clean energy transition by providing technical assistance to support eligible partner countries’ conversion of coal-fired power plants to secure and safe zero-carbon SMR nuclear energy facilities while retaining and retraining local jobs.
Efforts under NEXT are designed to be mutually reinforcing with similar projects in the United States and elsewhere. The program aims to provide technical support to partner countries that are exploring emerging clean nuclear energy technologies in a manner that makes them more affordable and accessible while adhering from the outset to the highest standards of nuclear security, safety, and nonproliferation.
Thank you for your interest in NEXT. Applications are now closed.
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