The UK Nuclear Energy Agency (UKAEA) and the Fukushima Research, Education and Innovation Institute (F-REI) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on the Joint Research in Robotics and Autonomous Systems.
The MOC will promote UK-Japan collaboration between government-funded organizations, strengthen opportunities for collaborative research, and promote science and innovation in key technical areas such as:
Robotics and Autonomous Systems: Supporting nuclear decommissioning, operating in challenging environments, and advanced manufacturing. Facility management and collaboration: harnessing best practices in research facilities, sharing innovation and commercialization culture. Human Resources and Skills: Initiatives to promote partnerships and support human resource and skills development.
The MOC was signed by Yamazaki, Rob Buckingham Koetsu and Rob Buckingham at Ukaea’s Culham Campus in the UK on March 4, 2025.
Provide sustainable fusion energy through robotics
UKAEA’s mission is to lead the delivery of sustainable fusion energy and maximize scientific and economic benefits. Established in 2014, UKAEA’s World-Class Robotics Center, Race (Remote Applications in Challenging Environments), is at the forefront of research and development in the deployment of robotics and autonomous systems within extreme industrial environments where human intervention is difficult.
Among the recent achievements of race are the successful development of next-generation robotics technology to be abolished through the Longps Project funded by the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Agency (NDA), UK Research Innovation (UKRI), and the Tokyo Electric Power Company in Japan (TEPCO).
Ukaea is a member of the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Collaboration (RAICO) along with NDA, Sellafield Ltd and the University of Manchester. This collaboration accelerates the deployment of robotics and AI, solving the challenges of shared nuclear decommissioning and fusion engineering.
Professor Rob Buckingham, executive director of UKAEA, commented: “We are pleased to work with F-REI as we share a strong commitment to driving science and innovation in key technical areas such as robotics and autonomous systems.
“We believe that by leveraging our shared experience and expertise, we can further strengthen the UK and Japan’s involvement across government, industry and academia, and have real-world impacts and drive cutting-edge progress.”
Creative reconstruction in Japan
F-REI was established by the Japanese government under the Act on Special Measures for Reconstruction and Revitalization of Fukushima in April 2023 and is dedicated to becoming a world-class core center for creative reconstruction through advanced technology.
F-REI aims to embody the dreams and aspirations of other regions in the Fukushima and Tohoku region, promoting Japan’s scientific and technological capabilities and industrial competitiveness.
The Institute conducts research and development in five important areas:
Robotics Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Energy Radiation Science, Medicine, Pharmaceutical Development, and Industrial Applications for Radiation are collected and disseminated in the collection and dissemination of data and knowledge about nuclear disasters.
“F-REI and UKAEA share complementary goals in research, innovation, education and commercialization,” explained Dr. Yamazaki, president of F-REI.
“UKAEA’s extensive experience in productive research programs, educational initiatives, innovation and commercialization pipelines and developing collaborative research facilities offers valuable lessons that will greatly benefit F-REI’s startup goals.”
He concluded: “We are excited to increase Japan’s scientific and technological capabilities and industrial competitiveness through this international collaboration.”
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