Interested contributors have until 15 September 2025 to submit synopses for the IAEA's International Conference on the Safe and Secure Transport of Nuclear and Radioactive Material.
The IAEA estimates that 20 million shipments of radioactive material are transported every year. These materials are shipped nationally and internationally by road, rail, sea, air and inland waterways for applications such as medicine and health, agriculture, nuclear power generation and advanced scientific research.
The conference, to be hosted in Vienna, Austria from 23 to 27 March 2026, will cover the legislative and regulatory framework for the transport of nuclear and other radioactive material, safety and security by design; safety and security during transport operations. It builds on previous events held in 2011 and 2021.
"For decades, IAEA safety standards have been the backbone for the safe transport of radioactive material. With rapid technological advances in the nuclear and transport sectors, the global landscape is evolving - and fast. This conference aims to drive innovation, share experience and help strengthen the global standards," said Shazia Fayyaz, one of the scientific secretaries and Head of the IAEA Transport Safety Unit in the Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety.
"During transport, nuclear and radioactive material may be vulnerable to a number of modal specific risks and threats," said Robert Officer, the other scientific secretary of the conference and Head of the IAEA Transport Security Unit in the Division of Nuclear Security. "The conference will further raise awareness through sharing experiences on strengthening safety and security capabilities, including on such topics as legal and policy frameworks, and technological and commercial trends for the protection of end-to-end transport."
Addressing global transport challenges
The conference will address challenges countries face in aligning national legal and regulatory systems with international instruments, including IAEA safety standards and nuclear security guidance, and United Nations Model Regulations. Attendance is expected from policy makers, regulatory bodies, government officials, users and operators, designers and manufacturers, as well as non-governmental organizations and academic institutions.
