SOCIETA' GESTIONE IMPIANTI NUCLEARI PER AZIONI

Their core work

SOGIN is Italy's national company responsible for the decommissioning of nuclear power plants and the management of radioactive waste. In H2020 projects, they contribute operational expertise in nuclear facility dismantling, waste characterization, and pre-disposal treatment of radioactive materials. Their work spans from developing measurement and monitoring tools for waste management to pioneering robotic and cyber-physical systems for unmanned decommissioning operations. As a real-world operator of decommissioning sites, they bring hands-on industrial experience that complements academic research partners.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

SOGIN's H2020 engagement began in 2019 with a focus on nuclear waste characterization, measurement instrumentation, and building strategic research roadmaps for the decommissioning sector (MICADO, SHARE). By 2020-2021, their focus shifted decisively toward physical dismantling operations — graphite reactor dismantling, remote technologies, and deploying robotic systems for unmanned decommissioning measurements. This evolution reflects a move from planning and measurement toward active, technology-driven dismantling execution.

SOGIN is moving toward automation and cyber-physical systems for nuclear decommissioning, signaling demand for robotics, digital twin, and remote sensing partners.

How they like to work

SOGIN operates exclusively as a consortium participant, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as an industrial end-user that validates and applies research outputs rather than driving academic agendas. With 67 unique partners across 17 countries, they maintain a broad European network, suggesting they are a sought-after partner who brings real decommissioning site access and operational know-how. Their involvement in both large Innovation Actions and smaller Research & Innovation Actions shows flexibility in consortium scale.

SOGIN has collaborated with 67 distinct partners across 17 countries, forming a wide European network in the nuclear decommissioning community. This reach reflects their position as a key industrial player in a sector where international cooperation is essential due to shared safety and regulatory challenges.

What sets them apart

SOGIN is one of very few national-scale nuclear decommissioning operators participating in H2020, giving them unmatched access to real decommissioning sites for testing and validation. Unlike research institutes that study nuclear waste in theory, SOGIN manages actual facilities — making them an ideal validation partner for any technology aimed at real-world deployment. Their combination of waste management operations and growing robotics involvement makes them a bridge between nuclear science and advanced automation.

Highlights from their portfolio

• PREDIS
  Largest funding (EUR 393,340) — addresses the full pre-disposal management chain for radioactive waste including treatment, safety, and material science.
• CLEANDEM
  Most forward-looking project — combines cyber-physical systems, digital twins, and unmanned ground vehicles for nuclear decommissioning, signaling SOGIN's push into robotics.
• INNO4GRAPH
  Targets the specific challenge of graphite-moderated reactor dismantling with remote technologies — a niche but critical problem as Europe's aging graphite reactors approach end-of-life.