Fermi Energia, a company that plans to build a new generation of modular reactor power plants in Estonia, has selected two scholarship holders who will be supported to study abroad in the field of nuclear energy. The scholarship will support studies abroad for two academic years at postgraduate level.
The first recipient, Rainer Kelk, is pursuing a Master's degree in Nuclear Engineering at the Faculty of Nuclear Engineering in a joint programme between the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ). It is ranked 4th in the world's top universities in engineering and technology in the field of engineering and technology. Among its most famous graduates are the first Nobel Prize winner in physics, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (discoverer of X-rays) and one of the founders of modern theoretical physics, as well as Nobel Prize winner Albert Einstein.
"Considering the cost of living in Switzerland, the Fermi Energy Fellowship is a wonderful opportunity for me to focus on the most important thing during my studies - studying. After all, I'm studying there for the benefit of Estonia - I have a clear desire to come back to Estonia and be part of the centenary project," said Kelk.
According to Henri Ormus, Vice President of the European Nuclear Energy Association and co-founder and board member of Fermi Energia, building a better future requires capable people. "In the nuclear energy field, we need competent professionals who are available through training and work experience. The first step is training. We certainly don't need an army of nuclear physicists to build small modular reactors in Estonia, but 30-50 nuclear specialists (e.g. nuclear engineers, nuclear physicists, nuclear chemists, radiation protection and nuclear safety specialists, etc.) should definitely be trained in the next 10 years. There is always the possibility to bring in foreign specialists, but our wish at Fermi Energia is to invest in Estonia's young people and their future," Ormus explained.
The second recipient is Mihkel Aavik, who is studying for a Master's degree in European Nuclear Engineering. The first university he will study at is the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) in Spain. It is one of the top 50 universities in the world in the field of energy and engineering. He will also continue his studies at the Grenoble Institute of Technology or the University of Saclay in Paris.
Mihkel Aavik noted that the Fermi Energy grant is of course very important for him, as he has to pay for his education and other living expenses.
"In order to come back to Estonia in a few years and take up professional work, it is necessary for the Government of the Republic of Estonia, the Riigikogu and the Estonian people in general to come to a common understanding that it is expedient to build a nuclear power plant. Only then can the larger-scale processes be set in motion to prepare for the construction of the plant," Aavik said.
The Fermi Energy Fellowship is awarded for two academic years (2×10 months), €1000 per month.