Discover the INSTN

A few facts about the INSTN

As a part of the CEA (French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission), the National Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology (INSTN) is a higher education ad institution under the joint supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, and the Ministry of Industry.

The INSTN’s mission is to disseminate the knowledge and know-how developed at the CEA. It has been created in 1956, when France decided to launch a nuclear programme, for providing engineers and researchers with high scientific and technological qualifications in all disciplines related to nuclear energy applications.

The INSTN headquaters are located at the Saclay CEA Centre (20 km South of Paris). Four branches are set up in the CEA’s centres at Grenoble, Cadarache and Marcoule, and on the campus of Cherbourg-Octeville.

Its advantages

A network of French and foreign specialists and researchers able to deliver state-of-the-art instruction

The ability to act as an interface between research bodies, universities and industry

Know-how and experience in educational engineering and logistics organisation

Adaptability to recent developments in science and technology

Its activities and public

The INSTN offers:

National, European and international academic degree programmes for students, engineers and technicians, nuclear physicians, radiopharmacists and medical physicists;

Continuing education courses for professionals and PhD students of all origins and nationalities;

Training through research for which it serves as coordinator; it also offers assistance and guidance to PhD students and post-doctoral researchers working in the CEA’s laboratories.

With a wealth of experience in international collaborations for the 70’s, the INSTN is committed to European advancement, and is helping to form partnerships and build up networks. This had led it to offer courses and training taught in English.

Its areas of scientific and technical expertise

Nuclear power (fission - fusion

Radiation physics, chemistry, radiochemistry, materials science

Modelling, simulation

Nuclear resarch and engineering

Nuclear operation and maintenance, nuclear safety

Waste management, clean-up and dismantling

Radiation protection

Radiation detection and measurement

Facilities and environment monitoring

Alternative energy, energy techno-economics

Nuclear medicine, radiopharmacy, radiobiology, molecular imaging, medical physics

Micro and nanotechnologies

Its teaching facilities

The institute has various facilities and equipments with a sophisticated instrumentation.

Educational mock-up facilities for hands-on training in intervention and decontamination techniques in hostile environments, as well as dressing/undressing facilities designed to permit trainees to practice proper techniques for entering and exiting regulated zones.
Teaching laboratories for biology and radiobiology, radiochemistry ans spectrometry, metallurgy and materials characterization, radiation detection and measurement...
Computer rooms and equipment : PWR simulators for both normal operations and accidental situations, industrial and protection computational codes (Castem, Apollo, Cathare, Flica, Tripoli, Microshield...), computer-aided instruction (reactor kinetics).

Morevover, the INSTN has access to most of the CEA’s nuclear facilities (experimental reactors, accelerators, hot laboratories, waste treatment and storage facilities, etc) as well as other types of systems (cleanrooms, high performance computational cluster...).

INSTN key figures

114 permanent staff members

1,400 specialised instructors

7,000 trainees per year in continuing education

900 students per year in academic degree programmes

1,100 PhD students trained at the CEA