Project Information

NF-PRO is a four-year Integrated Project (2004-2007) under the Sixth Framework Programme of the European Commission. NF-PRO brings together 40 leading nuclear research and waste management organisations with the aim of integrating European research on the safe management of long-lived and high-level radioactive waste.

NF-PRO aims to establish a scientific basis for resolving the issue of managing radioactive waste. Research as part of NF-PRO focuses on the disposal of radioactive waste in deep repositories. In particular, NF-PRO investigates key processes affecting the long-term barrier performance of the near-field system, which is an essential component of the geological disposal system ensuring the long-term safety of dispoal.

Research within NF-PRO aims to broaden and further develop the scientific basis for isolating this waste from the environment through disposal in deep (geological) repositories. The focal point of NF-PRO is on the investigation of key processes operating in the area surrounding the disposed waste (the near-field). The near-field is made of engineered barriers that enclose the disposed waste. These barriers play an essential role in ensuring the overall safety of geological disposal since they contain and minimise the release of radionuclides over extended periods of time. NF-PRO is the prime European research project addressing all factors and processes having an effect on the barrier performance of the near-field. Accordingly, NF-PRO represents a major step forward in developing a safe and sustainable solution to the issue of the long-term management of long-lived and high-level radioactive waste.