Opportunity: RAICo Junior Fellows

The Robotics and AI Collaboration (RAICo) is offering Innovation Awards to PhD students in the broad field of nuclear robotics. Successful applicants will receive a £5,000 grant and a bespoke package of mentoring, coaching and business support.

RAICo is a collaboration between the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, UK Atomic Energy Authority, Sellafield Ltd and The University of Manchester that aims to lead the development and exploitation of robotics technology to address challenges in nuclear decommissioning. RAICo is based in the RAICo 1 facility, located in Whitehaven, Cumbria.

Awards

We intend to appoint up to 5 RAICo Junior Fellows who will be developing innovative technologies that offer the potential to address on site challenges at Sellafield, Culham (UKAEA) or elsewhere across the NDA estate. Each Junior Fellow will be appointed for 6-months, awarded a grant of £5,000, which can be used to support travel and consumables, and will be required to spend at least one month in this period at the RAICo1 facility in Cumbria.

As part of the award, RAICo will provide links to challenge owners at Sellafield, Dounreay and elsewhere across the NDA estate, and will provide support with establishing a business and commercialising nuclear robotics technology.

Award Winners

We will select award winners who:

• Are developing technology that has the potential to be of benefit in the decommissioning of nuclear facilities at sites including Sellafield, Culham, Dounreay and Magnox facilities.
• Have the potential to be future leaders in engineering innovation.
• Will benefit from the package of support that will be provided.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an award you must:

• Be a registered PhD student at a UK university, studying robotics or a related subject.
• Be able to commit to spend at least one month, between 1^st March 2024 and 31^st March 2025, at the RAICo1 facility in Whitehaven, Cumbria.
• Be prepared to visit RAICo1, or a relevant nuclear site, regularly during the 6-month period (typically one visit each month).

Award

RAICo Junior Fellows will receive:

• £5,000 that can be used to support travel and subsistence costs to visit RAICo1, UK nuclear facilities, attend training courses and to pay for consumables that are required to develop robotic solutions as part of the proposed project.
• Support with establishing relationships with engineers and scientists at relevant nuclear sites in the UK.
• Business and entrepreneur training.

How to apply

Application forms must be submitted before 31^st January 2024 to reel@manchester.ac.uk:

Application Form

Guidance notes for applicants

 Details of a range of decommissioning challenges that are currently faced at UK nuclear sites can be found at https://www.gamechangers.technology. Not all the described challenges are related to robotics, but many are.