NFI seeks cooperation with nuclear experts
The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) is seeking close international cooperation with nuclear experts to develop new examination methods that can be used by experts in the event of a nuclear incident. For this reason, the NFI will participate in this week’s part of the international conference on Advances in Nuclear Forensics, hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.
The conference – which will be held from Monday 7 July up to and including Thursday 10 July – has attracted more than 400 nuclear specialists from 100 different countries. Together with Delft University of Technology, the NFI provides courses in the area of nuclear forensics. During the conference, the NFI will bring this educational programme to the attention of the participants.
State Secret
The NFI will be represented at the conference by Ed van Zalen. He wants to ensure that the importance of cooperation is brought to the attention of all participating parties. “We must devise a mechanism to exchange knowledge and share information. When a nuclear incident has happened, it is important to know where the nuclear material originated from. It is possible to characterise it, but it would be a good thing to be able to verify this with the countries concerned. In some countries, this information is state secret,” he said.
Innovation at the Crime Scene
Performing an investigation at a nuclear crime scene requires much innovation, with regard to both investigation methods and equipment. “It is not possible to investigate a radioactive source with standard equipment. The NFI is working on methods to investigate a nuclear source from a distance. The conference of the IAEA is an open invitation to nuclear experts to cooperate and to start developing good ideas.”
Innovations pathway
In the run-up to the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague this past spring, the NFI developed the ‘Innovations pathway 2014-2019’. This document explores the required innovations and the development of examination methods to investigate a nuclear security incident. The NFI will actively promote this pathway in Vienna during the next few days.