NATIONALE GENOSSENSCHAFT FUER DIE LAGERUNG RADIOAKTIVER ABFAELLE

Their core work

NAGRA (National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste) is Switzerland's designated organization responsible for the safe disposal of radioactive waste from nuclear power plants, medicine, industry, and research. Their core work centers on developing deep geological repositories — engineered underground facilities designed to isolate radioactive materials for thousands of years. Within H2020, they contribute specialized knowledge on bentonite barrier behavior, monitoring technologies for geological disposal sites, and participate in Europe-wide coordination of radioactive waste management research through the EURAD joint programme.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

NAGRA's early H2020 involvement (2015–2017) focused on practical engineering challenges: monitoring technologies for disposal sites (Modern2020) and understanding bentonite barrier behavior (Beacon). Their later participation shifted toward large-scale European coordination through EURAD (2019–2024), the flagship joint programme unifying radioactive waste management research across the continent. This progression suggests a move from contributing to focused technical projects toward shaping the strategic research agenda for geological disposal in Europe.

NAGRA is moving from niche technical contributions toward central participation in pan-European radioactive waste management programmes, likely reflecting Switzerland's advancing timeline toward selecting and licensing a geological repository site.

How they like to work

NAGRA participates exclusively as a partner or third party — never as coordinator — which is consistent with their role as a national waste management organization contributing domain expertise to research-driven consortia. With 148 unique partners across 28 countries from just 4 projects, they operate within very large, multi-national consortia typical of nuclear waste research. This makes them an accessible and experienced consortium partner, comfortable working within complex governance structures without seeking the lead role.

Despite only 4 projects, NAGRA has collaborated with 148 unique partners across 28 countries, reflecting the large-consortium nature of nuclear waste research. Their network spans most of Europe, with particularly strong ties to countries with active geological disposal programmes (Finland, Sweden, France, Germany, Belgium).

What sets them apart

NAGRA is one of only a handful of organizations in Europe with a national mandate to implement geological disposal of radioactive waste — not just research it, but actually build and operate a repository. This gives them irreplaceable real-world operational perspective that purely academic partners cannot offer. For any consortium working on nuclear waste, deep geology, or long-term environmental safety, NAGRA brings both the technical depth and the institutional credibility of an organization that must ultimately put research results into practice.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EURAD
  Largest project by far (EUR 2M+ to NAGRA alone), this European Joint Programme on Radioactive Waste Management is the flagship coordination effort uniting waste management organizations across Europe.
• Modern2020
  Directly addressed the practical challenge of how to monitor a sealed geological repository — a key unsolved problem for all countries planning deep disposal.
• Beacon
  Focused on bentonite mechanical evolution, a critical knowledge gap since bentonite clay barriers are the primary engineered safety feature in most repository designs.