This articles briefly summarizes five cases of inter-university cooperative arrangements for use of government nuclear facilities in Japan.
They can be classified into three categories as follows: (a) Cooperative use of nuclear facilities of non-university government laboratories, (b) Joint university research institute, (c) Cooperative use of university nuclear facilities.
One example of category (a) arrangement has been working effectively since 1961 for university research workers. The Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute accepted a request to let universities use several research reactors and other facilities.
The γ-field facility of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry also is now available for university research workers.
The unique example of category (b) is the Research Reactor Institute of Kyoto University. This institute was established in 1963 and it has a tank type research reactor (5MW), an electron linac and other experimental facilities. A multi-purpose critical assembly is now under construction and plans are being made for a high flux research reactor.
There are two examples of category (c) arrangement: the Fast Source Reactor of the University of Tokyo and the JMTR Radiation facility of the Tohoku University.
Problems faced commonly by many of the above mentioned cooperative arrangements include the following:
(1) Difficulties found by private and prefectual university research workers, and graduate students in joining these organizations.
(2) Difficulties in the evaluation of research results obtained by cooperative research groups and from the use of common facilities.
(3) Compatibility between the institute staff's own research program and that for utilization of the facilities for the cooperator.
(4) Inadequacy of funds and personel for the cooperative programs.
抄録全体を表示