Nuclear Power Industry R&D Program

Nuclear Power Industry R&D

Funds Korean nuclear innovators in safety and engineering pathways to deployment.

The Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) issues annual competitive R&D grant calls for nuclear energy technology under the authority of Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE). KETEP was established in 2009 under Article 13 of the Energy Act and managed approximately USD $826 million in innovative energy R&D funding in 2025. The Nuclear Power Industry R&D program is one of KETEP's six principal program areas and covers the full lifecycle of nuclear technology development. Sub-areas include nuclear power technology (next-generation reactor designs, safety systems, performance enhancement, and equipment localization), radioactive waste management (spent fuel transport, storage, and disposal, as well as low- and intermediate-level waste), nuclear convergence technology, facility performance enhancement, and decommissioning. The program explicitly funds small modular reactor (SMR) work targeted at Korean export markets, severe accident response systems, and seismic performance research.

Korean universities, research institutes, and for-profit companies are the typical applicant pool. Applications are submitted through the IRIS portal, KETEP's centralized R&D project submission system. The program issues calls on an annual cadence aligned with the Korean government fiscal year (January to December). Specific award amounts in Korean Won, per-call deadlines, match-funding requirements, and scoring rubrics are published in individual annual solicitation documents and are not fixed across years. KETEP's total energy R&D envelope in 2025 was approximately USD $826 million, making it one of the largest national energy research funders in Asia.

Successful applicants typically demonstrate alignment with MOTIE's national nuclear technology roadmap, propose projects with clear commercialization or safety-improvement pathways, and include institutional partners with relevant certified capabilities. Companies or research groups working on SMR technology, decommissioning engineering, or nuclear waste management with Korean institutional affiliations are the strongest candidates. Prospective applicants should monitor KETEP's IRIS portal and official announcements for annual call releases, as submission windows open and close on a defined schedule each year.