China Isotope & Radiation Corporation (CIRC), a holding subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), agreed to build a research and development (R&D) center for irradiation application on Sept 17.

The R&D center is expected to help better integrate production, teaching, research, and application, and to promote the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements.

The R&D center will make full use of China’s talent and resources and will engage in personnel training, scientific research, and technological development and services. It will have access to advanced technology and high-quality management and will work to improve domestic irradiation application technologies and commercialize scientific and technological achievements.

Irradiation technology is essential to the application of isotope and radiation technology and is listed as a high-tech industry by the International Meeting on Radiation Processing (IMPR). With China entering a stage of high-quality development and increasing public acceptance of nuclear technology, irradiation is seeing greater prospects for market application.