Ben-Gurion University Students to Design Small Nuclear Reactors

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has launched "Atom Challenge," an academic initiative where approximately 40 students from over ten departments will be divided into four teams to design small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) for Israel's energy needs. Each team will explore a different reactor technology and develop a conceptual design for a 60-megawatt power station, adapted for the Negev's climate and potentially integrated with water desalination. An independent expert committee will select the best design by May 2029, based on pre-published criteria. The winning design will be named BG-SMR-60, commemorating the university's 60th anniversary.

The initiative was announced during the inauguration of the Klein Institute for Nuclear Sciences and Engineering, established in 2025 with a donation from the Carmela and Joseph Klein Foundation. The institute aims to advance training, research, and education in nuclear energy, focusing on advanced reactor technologies and artificial intelligence for nuclear engineering, and fostering international collaborations. The "Atom Challenge" is a joint effort involving the university's Nuclear Engineering Unit, researchers, and partners from industry and the public sector.

In response to rising electricity demand, AI infrastructure needs, and the pursuit of energy independence and carbon emission reduction, nuclear energy is being reconsidered globally. The initiative aims to train professionals capable of evaluating energy alternatives and addressing the engineering, safety, and systemic challenges of nuclear power. Professor Erez Galad, head of the Nuclear Engineering Unit, stated that Israel is approaching a critical decision on integrating nuclear energy into its power sources, emphasizing the need for expertise over improvisation. He added that the program is building the generation that will enable Israel to wisely choose its energy future, highlighting that nuclear energy is fundamentally about people and an ecosystem.

The four student teams, named Or, Barak, Lahat, and Nitzotz, will focus on distinct technological families: pressurized water reactors, liquid metal-cooled fast reactors, molten salt reactors, and helium-cooled graphite reactors. They will analyze the entire power station system, from the reactor and cooling to control, safety, costs, and electricity generation, grounding their decisions in calculations, teamwork, and professional critique. Professor Ami Yishay, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Sciences, described the project as a complex systems engineering challenge requiring students to explain, defend, and refine their designs under professional scrutiny.

University Rector Professor Yaniv Gelbstein noted that Ben-Gurion University was founded to tackle national challenges through science and innovation, and the "Atom Challenge" exemplifies this mission. He stressed that the program equips students to work at high scientific and engineering standards, emphasizing critical evaluation and evidence-based decision-making. The university stated that participants, selected during the current academic year, will attend a five-day nuclear academy at Sde Boker, with no prior nuclear engineering background required. The goal is for students to contribute their existing knowledge and learn the fundamentals of the field collaboratively.

The university is inviting government ministries, public bodies, energy and technology companies, industry stakeholders, startups, investors, and philanthropic foundations to participate. Partners can contribute by providing experts for review and mentoring, offering data and engineering tools, supporting scholarships, and sharing practical experience, thereby aiding in building Israel's human and research infrastructure for nuclear energy.