Research programme expands and sets new priorities
ENSI’s research programme makes a significant contribution to developing important foundations, advancing methods and safeguarding ENSI’s independent expertise. In the year under review, the programme was expanded with specific goals in mind, especially in line with the 2023 research strategy and in the area of human factors. In regulatory safety research, the following new projects for 2025 are worth highlighting:
- External events: ENSI is supporting a new research project at the Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University (RPTU) of Kaiserslautern-Landau, which is investigating the non-linear behaviour of building structures during earthquakes. The results should help to answer unresolved questions about the behaviour of nuclear installations subject to beyond design-basis seismic events.
- Human factors: These cover a wide range of subjects, including the reliability of operator actions as well as organisational and ethical issues. In a new project, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) in Olten is analysing the interaction between safety, security and information security in the nuclear sector. ENSI has been supporting this project since the beginning of the year under review with the aim of identifying mutual dependencies and potential conflicts at an early stage and thus strengthening integrated approaches to safety and security.
- Radiation protection: The aim of radiation protection is to protect people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionising radiation. This can be supported by the use of remote-controlled technical systems. Since summer 2025, the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST) has been developing a specialised robot for use in nuclear power plants. ENSI is participating in this project so that areas with high radiation levels that are difficult to access can be more closely monitored in future without putting personnel at risk.
In the year under review, the research programme included 51 projects – a new milestone for ENSI.
Important findings from completed projects
Alongside the new initiatives, significant research projects were also successfully concluded:
- In February 2025, the German Organisation for Plant and Reactor Safety, Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS),completed a project in which it examined a specific situation during non-power operation of pressurised water reactors. This highlighted which human interventions can help restore a plant to a safe condition in accident situations.
- RWTH Aachen University completed development of a material model of the host rock Opalinus Clay. This model describes the behaviour of the clay formation following the excavation of underground structures such as deep geological repositories. Thanks to the successful completion of this project phase, ENSI is already benefiting from the findings and using the model for its assessments as part of the sectoral plan process.
These findings provide ENSI with an important basis for regulatory practice and the safety assessment of nuclear installations.
International cooperation amid geopolitical tensions
International cooperation is a central pillar of ENSI’s activities. Exchanges with organisations and regulatory authorities in other countries make it possible to share experience and continuously improve safety standards.
In 2025, the international environment was influenced by geopolitical tensions, especially relating to the safety of nuclear installations in Ukraine. At the same time, new reactor technologies and advances in deep geological repositories played a major role worldwide. At the Eighth Review Meeting of the Joint Convention, which focuses on waste management, Switzerland received positive feedback on its National Report. The international experts continued to assess the sectoral plan process for deep geological repositories as a challenge.
A key event in the year under review was the decision by the IAEA Commission on Safety Standards to fundamentally review the International Atomic Energy Agency’s regulatory framework. The aim is to adapt international safety standards to current technological and geopolitical developments and keep them effective in the long term.
The complete 2025 Research and Experience Report, featuring in-depth insights into all projects, findings and developments in the year under review, is available here:
