Research and development specialists win major nuclear decommissioning contract

A RENOWNED UK-based research and development company is part of a consortium which has won a major nuclear decommissioning contract.

Createc will provide research and development support to the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) as part of an ENVISION consortium of companies led by NUVIA.

The consortium will support the NDA as part of a four-year-contract working on its Direct Research Portfolio (DRP) Framework.

The ENVISION consortium will focus on integrated waste management, site remediation and decommissioning to help shape and underpin the NDA’s overall UK decommissioning strategy, deliver innovation across the NDA estate, and develop vital technical expertise for the future of the UK Nuclear Industry.

The ENVISION consortium is a diverse team of innovative SMEs, internationally recognised nuclear consultancies, and world-renowned Research and Development companies.

Led by NUVIA, the consortium comprises Createc, Lucideon, TUV Nord UK, NucAdvisor, Cognition Land and Water, Empresarios Agrupados and CIEMAT.

Adrian Davis-Johnston, Head of Research, Development and Innovation at NUVIA and the Contract Manager for the ENVISION consortium said: “This is an excellent opportunity for NUVIA, and its partners within ENVISION, to play a significant role in the delivery of research and development projects which have the potential to deliver the NDA’s mission and to make integrated waste management, site remediation and decommissioning safer, faster and at a lower cost to the UK taxpayer.”

David Clark, Operations Director for Createc, said: “At Createc we recognise that the best innovations are born out of collaboration.

“Createc seeks to build relationships with those around them so we can pool knowledge about a domain and develop better solutions.

“Createc aims to bring this culture to the DRP and build collaborations to solve challenges.”

Createc leads technological innovation by combining creative applications of emerging sensor technology and algorithms with a focus on commercial success and an entrepreneurial spirit to make research and development a self-sustaining activity.

Createc, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in June 2020, is defined by a speciality rather than a market, focussing on developing solutions for customers using imaging, sensing and robotics.

Createc provides solutions to a range of industries, including the civil nuclear, oil and gas, construction, engineering, medical, aerospace, rail, defence and security sectors.

The Cumbrian company has long-standing specialist expertise in nuclear decommissioning, including in the development of sensors for the characterisation of redundant nuclear facilities.

The Createc team is a diverse mix of technical experts from fields such as Computer Vision, Robotics, Nuclear Measurement and Optics, with an agile engineering team which can efficiently build prototype systems and develop them into full products.

Createc, which has expanded to employ 29 people, is the only business in Cumbria, and one of only four in the North-West, which holds two different Queen’s Awards, having received the award for both International Trade and Innovation.

Createc has also won awards for innovation from The Institution for Engineering and Technology (IET), The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).