HOW TO LEARN MORE

Visit the NRC Research Activities Web site: 

http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/research.html 

Read NUREG-1925, Rev. 1, “Research Activities FY2010-

FY2011,” page 202, ML113560049 

For more information on the Long-Term Research 

Program, please contact the NRC’s Office of Public Affairs 

at 301-415-8200 or OPA.Resource@nrc.gov 

EXAMPLES OF LONG-TERM RESEARCH 

PROGRAM PROJECTS 

FY 2009 

Advanced Level 2/3 Probabilistic Risk Assessment 

(PRA) Modeling Techniques 

Integral Effects Test Facility for Advanced Non-Light 

Water Reactors 

FY 2010 

Fire Safety of Digital Instrumentation and Control and 

Electrical Systems 

Advanced Fabrication Techniques 

FY 2011 

Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) and Surveillance of 

Civil Structures 

Advanced Light-Water Reactor Fuels 

FY 2012 

Smart Grid Impact on Nuclear Power Plants 

Safety and Regulatory Issues of the Thorium Cycle

FY 2013 

Evaluating Remaining Service Life of Nuclear Power 

Plant Concrete Structures 

Using Paleoflood Information to Assess Climate 

Variability Contribution to Flooding Risk at Nuclear 

Plant Sites

FY 2014 

Spectroscopy for Early Detection of Concrete 

Degradation 

Advanced Knowledge Engineering Tools to Support 

Risk-Informed Decision Making

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

www.nrc.gov

NUREG/BR-0506

December 2012

Office of Nuclear 

Regulatory Research

Long-Term 

Research Program

Addressing future 

regulatory and 

technological needs
2 Staff can submit ideas at any time, but proposals submitted after 

October 1st are considered during the following year. 

THE LONG-TERM RESEARCH PROGRAM 

The Long-Term Research Program (LTRP) supports 

anticipated future (beyond 5 years) NRC regulatory needs1 by 

providing fundamental insights and information to address 

potential technical issues or identified gaps in the NRC’s 

regulations or infrastructure. The program is managed 

by the Accident Analysis Branch in the Office of Nuclear 

Regulatory Research (RES). Staff in the NRC’s program 

offices (e.g., reactor or materials oversight) offer proposals 

for long-term research. 

LTRP projects generally last 1 to 2 years and are feasibility 

or scoping studies that assess whether future research on 

the topic should be pursued as part of the NRC’s normal 

planning and budgeting process. 

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE LONG-TERM 

RESEARCH PROGRAM? 

• Ensure that NRC regulations and regulatory process have 

sound technical bases 

• Prepare the NRC for anticipated changes in nuclear 

technology 

• Develop methods by which the NRC can carry out its 

regulatory responsibilities 

• Develop and maintain an infrastructure of expertise, 

facilities, analytical capabilities, and data to support 

regulatory decisionmaking 

1 The NRC also identifies “forward-looking” research activities 

that are near-term (< 5 years) research projects. 

PROGRAM PROCESS LONG-TERM RESEARCH PROGRAM 

SUCCESS STORIES 

Fire Safety of Digital Instrumentation and Control 

(I&C) and Electrical Systems 

Objective: To identify new failure modes and effects for fiber 

optic cables and digital instrumentation and control (l&C) 

systems in operating plants and new reactors when exposed 

to fire. 

Scope: Review past digital I&C test programs related to the 

effect of heat and smoke to provide insight into potential 

failure modes for the new systems and potential test 

methods that could be used. 

Motivation for Long-Term Research: Anticipated installation 

of fiber optic cables and digital I&C systems in operating 

plants and new reactors. 

Products: NRC report NUREG/CR-7123, “A Literature Review of 

the Effects of Smoke from a Fire on Electrical Equipment.” This 

report documents the current state-of-knowledge of smoke 

damage to control circuits. NRC is conducting follow-on research 

on this topic outside of the LTRP. 

Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) and Surveillance of 

Civil Structures 

Objective: Review current NDEs and sensor technologies 

for nuclear power plant (NPP) reinforced concrete 

structures to obtain physical and chemical properties for 

old and new concrete. 

Scope: Review current NDE and sensor technologies to 

obtain quantitative physical and chemical data for service 

life modeling of concrete structures. Identify promising NDE 

techniques and sensor technologies amenable to further 

analyses and development. 

Motivation for Long-Term Research: Predicting the remaining 

service life of existing NPP concrete structures and the service 

life of new concrete structures. 

Products: NRC report in NUREG/CR format that will document 

the current state-of-knowledge of NDE and sensor technology 

for concrete and identify NDE and sensor technology 

amenable for improvements for obtaining quantitative data.

RES solicits proposals from 

NRC staff. Proposals are due 

October 1 for consideration 

during current fiscal year2

Senior NRC technical advisors from six 

technical program offices rank 

proposals using the criteria below and 

develop consensus recommendations:

A. Leveraging resources (10%) 

B. Advancing state-of-the-art 

(30%) 

C. Providing independent tools 

(10%) 

D. Applying to more than one area (20%) 

E. Addressing gaps created by 

technology (30%) 

Staff informs Commission of 

proposals identified for funding, 

status of ongoing projects, and 

status of overall program via yearly 

SECY paper that is concurred on by 

all major NRC offices 

Successful proposals are 

entered into the planning and 

budgeting process (NRC 

budgets 2 years in advance) 

Solicit Proposals 

(early September)

Rank and 

Recommend 

Proposals

(October–December)

Write SECY (January)

Include in Budget 

(March)

The Long-Term Research Program consists 

of a four-stage process.