In August 2021, we obtained Qualiopi certification for INSTN’s training activities and validation of prior learning (VPL).
Qualiopi attests to our process of improvement, which enables learners to achieve the skills required for their job. This requires clear and accessible information about our training courses, which are delivered by professionals.

Being Qualiopi certified demonstrates clearly to our learners and their employers, that the quality of our practices meet specific standards, allows us to finance our training with public and/or hybrid funds, and ensures that we are committed to continual improvement.
We are particularly proud to have been recognised for key strengths such as:

• Competence of our trainers
• Organisation of our monitoring
• Continuous improvement as part of an integrated quality management system.

INSTN’s Qualiopi certification adds to our existing list of certifications: CEFRI R, CEFRI F, EDF, CIFMD, ISO 9001, CTI.

With COP26 under way, INSTN and the CEA are offering an online training course - the MOOC ‘Energy Systems: low carbon objective’ - that will help in understanding the challenges of the energy transition in its climate, geopolitical and techno-economic dimensions, and allow learners to take part in the public debate on the subject.

What energies will we need tomorrow? What is the place of oil, gas, nuclear and renewable energies in the energy mix? How can we build a low carbon energy system? How can we reconcile these constraints with ambitious climate objectives? These are the questions that professionals in the energy sector must answer.

The ‘Energy Systems: low carbon objective’ training course is 3 hours long and has 6 modules:
• Introduction to energy
• Current energy context
• Global warming
• Geopolitics of the energy transition
• Stakeholders and governance
• An integrated approach
On the programme: videos, animations and quizzes, with a range of experts from the CEA.
This first part lays the foundations for the general context of the energy transition. Parts 2 - ‘The vectors of low carbon energies: electricity, hydrogen, etc.’- and 3 -‘Energy efficiency’ - are planned for 2022.

The course has been available online, on the Instart Learning Experience (in French) platform, since the 20th of September.

They come from Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mauritius. They are the first students to graduate from the Masters Degree in Radiopharmacy, as a result of the partnership between Morocco’s CNESTEN - National Center for Energy, Sciences and Nuclear Techniques - and INSTN, under the IAEA’s - International Agency for Atomic Energy - stewardship.

After two years of training at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Rabat (FMP-Rabat) of the Mohammed V University in Rabat, these students, who are trained in the techniques for the handling of radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosis and therapy, will be able to participate in the development of nuclear medicine in their respective countries.

INSTN trains French radiopharmacists in the framework of the Radiopharmacy Diploma (French DESC). We were also asked, as subject matter expert and IAEA Collaborating Centre, to help develop the educational model for this new Masters degree. This training is part of a plan to strengthen the national capacities of African countries in radiopharmacy, in order to better support the development of nuclear medicine and meet the growing needs for diagnosis and therapy in Africa.

INSTN provides a new module in radiation protection to students of the Technical Professional Diploma in Management of Processes, to promote their employability, in particular in the Gard department of France.

Students of the Technical Professional Diploma (French BTS) ‘Management of Processes’ of Sainte-Marie de Bagnols High School, in the Gard department of France, in addition to learning about nuclear physics, safety and decommissioning during their lessons, have, since this year, also taken a practical module on radiation protection, delivered by INSTN on our premises.

With 600m2 of practical classrooms, INSTN’s mock up training facilities (chantiers écoles), and our trainers, INSTN provided them with the expertise and interpersonal skills essential for working in a confined nuclear environment.

To meet the demands of employers, the module was designed by combining compulsory training courses such as Level 1 Risk Prevention (French PR1) for working on a nuclear site. This enables young graduates to become immediately operational in the nuclear industry, initially during their work-study programme, and then when they enter the job market.
"The sector needs operators, but there are too few of them on the market. Such an initiative, even if it is far from meeting the need, is an important step ", underlines Florent Lemont, Head of INSTN’s Teaching Unit in Marcoule, where the training is provided.

Loïc Rocard, CEO of TechniAtome, gave the inaugural lecture, on Tuesday the 5th of October, for the Advanced Graduate Degree for engineers specialising in Nuclear Engineering, on the subject "From land prototype to SMR, the other adventure of nuclear reactors", including a history of nuclear power seen through the prism of the challenges of naval propulsion.

Each year, a speaker from the nuclear sector is invited by the CEA Chairman and CEO, the High Commissioner for Atomic Energy and the Director of INSTN, to give a lecture to students of the Masters Degree for engineers specialising in Nuclear Engineering, and representatives of the nuclear industry, the cornerstone of the success of this course.

The Class of 2022’s 73 students listened to Loïc Rocard’s enthusiasm for the new generation of naval propulsion nuclear reactors for the future aircraft carrier, K22, and the French SMR project, Nuward: "With these projects, there will be work, great work, and it won’t be easy!" He also gave the students in the audience encouragement: "Those of you who arrive in the nuclear sector with youth, energy and desire, know that there are key challenges to be met: to be simple, fast and right first time, and above all never accept systemic difficulties."

The Masters Degree for engineers specialising in Nuclear Engineering is a one-year first-class training course, taken following an Engineering Masters Degree, which aims to train highly specialised engineers for the needs of the nuclear industry and the French Navy. It is delivered on 3 INSTN sites in France: Saclay, Cadarache, and Cherbourg, and is certified by the French CTI.

The traditional start to the academic year for INSTN students, bringing together students from INSTN and partnership courses, took place this year, simultaneously in Saclay and Cadarache on the 17th of September, with a focus on climate.

To start the day, Laurence Piketty, Deputy CEO of the CEA, delivered the keynote remarks. Then, the 250 students participated, in small groups, in a ‘Climate Fresk’ workshop, developed by the association of the same name, whose mission is to raise awareness of climate issues. From facts on climate change provided by the work of the IPCC, that the students had to arrange linking cause and effect by drawing a large mural, they become aware of current environmental issues and their complexity.
This type of event is part of a more comprehensive sustainable development action plan recently initiated by INSTN.

INSTN is a member of the network of Higher Education Institutions for sustainable development of the French Ministry of Ecological Transition.

Hackadem SUP Final: Victory for team from University of Nîmes

After being selected amongst the top 5, the winners of the Hackadem SUP challenge were chosen by the jury during the grand final on the 28th of May.

Following the presentations from the 5 finalist projects, the ‘Gis Nîmes’ team was selected by the CEA/INSTN jury. The students of the Master's degree in Risks and Environment at the University of Nîmes, Dorian, Julie and Sarah, came up with developing a bioprocess from the combination of two technologies: Coccomyxa microalgae and a decontamination foam developed by CEA experts. The aim of this bioprocess is to reduce the volume of radioactive waste created during the decommissioning of facilities.

Launched in January 2021 by the CEA and INSTN, Hackadem Sup was the first Open Innovation challenge dedicated to nuclear decommissioning. The online challenge was aimed at French-speaking graduate students. Its theme - imagine new technologies for decommissioning - has drawn over 390 students from 88 institutions since the start of the year.

A first selection was made by the jury at the end of April; a jury which included Eric Gadet, Director of INSTN. Five projects out of the 150 submitted were selected at this stage. The live final then took place on the 28^th of May, via the challenge platform.

As for the rest of the teams: Victor and Adrien, students from ENSTA, came in second with a mapping project using a drone adapted for nuclear environments. In third place, we find team Agozuz, Côme, Arthur, Océane and Prisca, from EPF School of Engineering, with a project on risk prevention. In fourth position, Dement’Innov, Nicolas and Benoît, from Polytech, with a project on the contribution of artificial intelligence to site decommissioning. And finally, in fifth position, Nuclé’hair Museum, Octave and Gaspar, from ECE Engineering School and EDHEC Business School, with a project on re-using site areas for public information purposes.

During the results announcement, the students expressed what “a great experience” this challenge had been"; one “to be repeated”, the Dement'Innov team said. The Drone Cartographe (mapping) team also added that they are "all winners in some way from this experience" and that "it’s a very interesting subject to have looked at."

This challenge enabled the students to work on a problem linked to decommissioning and sustainable development, two major challenges for the future of nuclear power. The five finalist projects will be further developed by the CEA with the aim of "making progress on our remediation and decommissioning projects," says Laurence Piketty, Deputy Director General at the CEA.

Hackadem Sup - Hackadem Sup 2021 - link to the final

The INSTN and TechnicAtome renew their partnership

On Monday the 31st of May 2021, Loïc Rocard, TechnicAtome CEO, and Eric Gadet, INSTN Director, signed an amendment to the agreement that has linked the two entities since 2018, thus extending the duration of their partnership for 3 years.

This agreement includes, among other things, close collaboration between the two entities for training in the field of experimental reactors, access to educational tools and expertise in the field of SMR (Small Modular Reactors), and the development of ‘practical modules’.

In addition, TechnicAtome is sponsoring the 2021-2022 intake of Engineers Specialised in Nuclear Engineering (GA) and its CEO, Loïc Rocard, will deliver the Inaugural Nuclear Engineering Lecture in October.

"Maintaining close ties with TechnicAtome is a major asset in supporting the relevance of our offer and the employability of our students," says INSTN Director, Eric Gadet.