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on 5/15/26 at 9:06 AM
This Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) working paper explores how forthcoming shifts in society, climate and nuclear science and technology may affect the System of Radiological Protection (SRP) and its primary aim. It reviews sustainability (including SRP alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs]); emerging technologies (artificial intelligence in radiological protection and medicine; small and advanced modular reactors [SMRs/AMRs]; and fusion); new applications (space and maritime nuclear uses; expanding radioligand therapy [RLT]); and emerging hazards (armed conflict), alongside cross-cutting issues such as optimisation, stakeholder engagement and regulatory coherence.
The paper concludes that the SRP’s primary aim remains fit for purpose. It identifies areas for refinement: explicitly embedding sustainability within the articulation of the SRP; ensuring flexible, values-aware optimisation that integrates social, economic, and environmental factors; preparing guidance for new reactor types and complex waste streams; advancing fusion-specific dosimetry and regulatory frameworks; addressing gove nance gaps for space and maritime nuclear activities; harmonising practices for rapidly scaling medical RLT; and designing regulatory flexibility for wartime and multi-hazard scenarios. It encourages the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and partners to use these insights as inputs to the next SRP review cycle and related international standards work.
