Gulf Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Institute established in Abu Dhabi

Organizations from the United Arab Emirates and the United States today formally agreed to establish the Gulf Nuclear Energy Infrastructure Institute (GNEII) in Abu Dhabi, an educational institution that will provide classroom instruction and hands-on experience in nuclear energy safety, security, safeguards and non-proliferation for the UAE's civil nuclear energy program.

The agreement was signed by representatives from the organizations during the International Atomic Energy Agency's International Conference on Human Resource Development, being held at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. More than 300 international experts on human resources and nuclear energy are attending the four-day event.

GNEII will be associated with Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research (Kustar) with support from the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and the UAE Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR). The U.S. organizations involved in the project are Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and the Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute at Texas A&M University (NSSPI).

"World class performance in safety, security and safeguards, as well as non-proliferation are the foundation of a responsible and successful nuclear energy program," said Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Interim President of Kustar. "We are pleased to be playing a key role in bringing expertise in those fields to the UAE, and eventually to region."

Dr. Amir H. Mohagheghi, Program Manager for the Middle East and South Asia Sandia National Laboratories, said, "We're very pleased to initiate this cooperation with Khalifa University. It shows the potential for US public and private entities to support both our mutual desire for good partnership on the highest nuclear safety and non-proliferation standards, as well as President Obama's call in Cairo for scientific and technological cooperation."

The organizations have agreed to develop the institute's curriculum, establish its physical facilities in Abu Dhabi, provide guest lecturers, and prepare the institute's staff and GNEII program graduates to help GNEII become, within five years after its inauguration, a self-sustaining source of nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation education consistent with international standards.

GNEII's mission will be to help develop a peaceful nuclear energy culture and institutionalize key safety, security and nonproliferation norms in the future decision-makers of Gulf-region states pursuing civilian nuclear energy programs. A key objective of GNEII will be to provide the region with a source of indigenous nuclear energy professionals with whom the global community can effectively partner to achieve broader nuclear energy safety, security and nonproliferation priorities. Extension and expansion of this mission, and the institute's priorities within the Arabian Gulf and the wider Middle East area, is an aspiration for GNEII as it matures, the organizations agreed in the Letter of Intent signed today.