Advanced Nuclear Reactor Design 2026
ADVANCED NUCLEAR
REACTOR DESIGN 2026
07-08 October 2026
etc.venue, Manchester
Advanced Nuclear Reactor Design returns this October to focus on the engineering, regulatory and delivery challenges of next-generation nuclear technologies.
The advanced nuclear sector is entering a defining period, with major progress now being made across SMRs, AMRs and fusion both in the UK and internationally. Recent months have seen new commitments from Great British Energy - Nuclear, continued progress from Rolls-Royce SMR, increased private investment into reactor developers, supply chain mobilisation, and growing regulatory focus on enabling deployment at pace.
Alongside this renaissance of the UK's nuclear sector, the IMechE's popular Advanced Nuclear Reactor Design conference is poised to once again provide a key forum for reactor developers, OEMs, regulators, government bodies, and the wider supply chain to meet, stay up to date on technical developments and project milestones, understand the regulatory landscape in the UK, and to identify and maximise opportunities.
Whether you are involved with or are looking to enter the future of nuclear energy, this is THE conference to stay up to date and to connect with the engineering community driving the innovation, manufacture and deployment of next-generation reactor technologies.
Our 2026 themes include:
Discover the evolving role of SMRs and AMRs in the nuclear energy sector.
Learn how regulators are assessing and challenging novel reactor designs and what this means for licensing risk.
Identify and address challenges in design, production, and funding pathways.
Why attend in 2026?
Attendees
Speakers
Hours of content
KEYNOTE
TALKS
Gain insights into the cutting-edge technologies and materials in nuclear design from leading research institutions and industry experts.
ON-STAGE
DISCUSSIONS
Understand the engineering barriers delaying deployment and what they mean for project viability.
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES
Meet and make new connections with design leaders in this field.
GAIN LEADING INSIGHTS
Identify the direction of future innovations in materials, fuel systems, and design protocols.
Some of our great attendee feedback:
I thought it was an excellent conference...it is good to have safety and environmental regulators speaking together and I appreciated the opportunity to speak at a well-attended conference. I personally thought the conference worked really well and developed a lot of discussion. It was good to hear DESNZ’s, NIRO’s, developers, consultants, and research plans all together in one place.
Radiological Protection Specialist
Environment Agency
I have to say I was hugely impressed with the conference as a whole. The range of speakers was fantastic; a really great mix of overview talks, technical discussion and I thought the round-table discussion was really interesting. It certainly was the best IMechE conference that I’ve attended.
Director of Strategic Nuclear Capability
Nuclear Innovation Research Office (NIRO)
Thank you again for organising such an enjoyable and stimulating two days in Manchester. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing our speakers and meeting such a wide range of fellow engineers.
Risk Control Engineer
Northcourt Nuclear Risk Specialists
Previous attendees include:
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Pricing
Standard pricing
(From 12 August)
Members
£550
Non Members
£675
Student or Retired*
£350
*Please contact training@imeche.org for your student or retired rate.
Bring a group and save
Discounts are available for groups of 5 or more attendees; this is a great opportunity for multiple engineers to:
- Benefit from the topics and discussions
- Maximise opportunities for learning and networking
- Contribute to their ongoing professional development
- Meet and collaborate with colleagues across multiple sites
- Bring new/junior team members up to speed
To organise your group booking, simply contact our Training team and we would be delighted to make all the arrangements.
MEET OUR SPEAKERS
Richard Faris
Principal Inspector – Nuclear Safety, Office for Nuclear Regulation
Waleed Chaudhry
UK Engineering Leader, Holtec International
Sonya Pemberton
UK Technical Director, X-energy
Dougie Auld
Chief Engineer, UKAEA
Umang Navnit Rajdev
Digital Engineering Leader, Rolls Royce SMR
Ahead of the Advanced Nuclear Reactor Design 2026 conference, join our pre-conference training course on 6 October on the topic of Small Modular Reactors to explore the opportunities, challenges and timescales facing SMR development and commercialisation in the UK and globally.
This course is designed for engineers and commercial executives keen to find new investment opportunities, assess policy support, benchmark technologies and grasp the opportunities in the SMR sector. It aims to provide an overview of the rationale behind the SMR concept, the proposed technologies, and the challenges and opportunities faced by the SMR vendors, operators and supply chain actors to reach commercial operation.
