Advanced Nuclear Reactor Design 2026
ADVANCED NUCLEAR
REACTOR DESIGN 2026
07-08 October 2026
etc.venue, Manchester
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.
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
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Early Bird pricing
(Ends 11 August)
Standard pricing
(From 12 August)
Members
£495
£550
Non Members
£607.50
£675
Student or Retired
£315
£350
Discounts are available for groups of 5 or more attendees; this is a great opportunity for multiple engineers to:
To organise your group booking, simply contact our Training team and we would be delighted to make all the arrangements.
Meet our partners