The award, announced Thursday, was given by the federal energy department’s Nuclear Energy University Programs, which offers research and equipment funding to U.S. colleges. The money will allow Tech’s Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Program (NRE) to develop a concept for a high-power light water reactor. This type of reactor would be safer than advanced passive systems.   

The project boasts participants from all over the world, but Tech is the lead organization. Drs. Farzad Rahnema and Bojan Petrovic (pictured left), both NRE professors, are spearheading the research.

Following last year’s nuclear disaster in Japan, reactor safety is a top priority for engineers, and the light water reactor would include features that build on lessons from the Fukushima Daiichi crisis. A key idea behind it is stamping out sources of potential problems. For example, engineers hope to eliminate the possibility of large accidents caused by coolant loss.

The Department of Energy awarded the money as part of its commitment to university-led energy innovation. Two other institutions – the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Tennessee – also received awards under the program, though Tech’s award was the largest.

"As part of our commitment to restarting America's nuclear industry and making sure that America stays competitive in the 21st century, we must invest in the next generation of American scientists and engineers," Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a news release. "The awards announced today will help train and educate our future energy leaders, while developing the innovations we need to create new jobs and export opportunities for American-made nuclear technologies."