Investigating African Nuclear Standards and Technology Development

Project Overview

Project Description

Many African nations are exploring new nuclear, advanced reactors, small modular reactors, and grid‑expansion projects. ASME (The American Society of Mechanical Engineers) is seeking fellows to conduct a structured assessment of this energy development landscape.

This research project, conducted by a small group of fellows, will involve the following:

• Mapping national energy plans and identifying government agencies and companies shaping nuclear and clean‑energy decisions.
• Documenting gaps in standards that affect project development, safety, and regulatory efficiency.
• Mapping the current energy technologies available and suitable within each country to execute national energy plans, and identifying any gaps in development, adaptation, or deployment where innovation is needed.
• Mapping stakeholders such as academia and entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs) currently working to address technology gaps.
• Assessing the investment landscape for supporting ventures innovating within the region.

The output will be a region-specific intelligence package – including priority countries, stakeholder maps, and standards and technology needs assessments – designed to guide future ASME engagement, inform standards development, inform support of technology innovation and support potential Africa‑EU collaboration opportunities.

Potential countries of focus include: South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Morocco, Algeria, Rwanda, Tunisia, Nigeria, Mali.

Impact

This initiative will develop a clear understanding of standards and technology related to nuclear, as well as key stakeholders in each country. This will enable ASME  to a) provide tailored standards-based guidance to streamline processes and b) co-develop a suite of standards that improve safety, reliability, and consistency. Additionally, it aims to help foster innovation related to energy technology by creating pathways to talent and/or capital to support continued technology product development in the region.

Eligibility Criteria

Skills / Experience

• Required:
  • Research
  • Interviewing / User Research
  • Technical writing and documentations
• Desired:
  • An understanding of the energy space, ideally nuclear, as well as regional energy markets in the focus countries would be beneficial.
  • Experience with stakeholder mapping, and standards or technology needs assessments.

Discipline:

• Any relevant engineering discipline

Preferred fellow local experience (all projects can be completed remotely):

• Local knowledge of the potential focus regions would be beneficial: South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Morocco, Algeria, Rwanda, Tunisia, Nigeria, Mali.

Time zone compatibility (when the Fellow should be available for meetings):

• Compatibility with Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)