Future challenges for nuclear power plant development research, and for radiological protection sciences.

The promise of the future shines brightly for nuclear energy technology and production, yet also holds many challenges. Focus on new reactor designs is currently aiming at what is termed the fourth generation of reactors, which will come into operation after 2030. The 10 countries participating in the Generation-IV International Forum to develop the new generation of reactors have designated six reactor designs that will be studied. This paper will briefly discuss some of these challenges in new reactor designs in general. In addition to the challenges posed by new reactor designs, radiation protection is also faced with a series of challenges for the future. These are borne from experience with the implementation of the current system of radiological protection, from the evolution of radiation biological research, and from changes in society in the area of radiological risk assessment and management. This paper will address all of these emerging challenges, and point towards approaches to resolve them in the future.