- IAEA & INSTA launched the Executive Programme for Educators (EPE) to train nuclear experts as educators in Asia-Pacific.
- Phase II began in Tokyo, March 2025, focusing on advanced radiation protection and post-Fukushima risk management.
- Participants gained exposure to Japanese best practices, site visits, and international cooperation, shaping them as ambassadors of nuclear science.
In April 2024, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the International Nuclear Science and Technology Academy (INSTA) introduced the Executive Programme for Educators (EPE), a groundbreaking project aimed at assisting scientific professionals in shifting from technical professions to academic and pedagogical posts.
Through the strengthening of educational capabilities in nuclear science and technology, the programme aims to establish a sustainable talent pool of competent professionals capable of promoting the peaceful application of nuclear technology in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition to technical competence, participants are also exposed to overarching issues like the global sustainable development agenda, international nuclear safety standards, and legal frameworks for governing nuclear applications.
The programme is organized in two phases. The first, which was taught online together with the Open University of Malaysia and the Asian Network for Education in Nuclear Technology, consists of three modules: teaching strategies for various learners, nuclear science and development, and the global context of nuclear technology. Twenty-five participants completed this phase to success in late 2024.
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The second phase, carried out through INSTA schools, allows graduates to specialize in fields like nuclear engineering and safety, radiation medicine, advanced radiation protection, or research reactor applications, as well as improve their teaching skills to be deployed in their own countries. The second phase was launched in March 2025 in Tokyo, Japan, where trainees attended the INSTA school of advanced radiation protection.
Organized by the University of Tokyo and sponsored by the Government of Japan, the program highlighted risk management and communication based on experience during the post-Fukushima period. Seven nations contributed to the sessions by international experts and participants benefited from site visits to the Japan Chemical Analysis Centre and the Tokyo Fire Department, learning about emergency preparedness, sophisticated detection equipment, and nuclear applications of material sciences and non-destructive testing.
For most participants, the experience proved to be life-changing, providing exposure to top Japanese practices and regional cooperation. In the view of IAEA experts, the program is not only improving technical teaching skills but also developing educators as ambassadors of nuclear science. Through combining academic training, on-the-job exposure, and global collaboration, the EPE is consolidating nuclear education infrastructure in Asia and the Pacific, with plans already under way for the next cycle in 2026.
