Longtime partners, theUniversité Grenoble Alpes , and McMaster University are taking their scientific collaboration to the next level. From December 9 to 11, 2026, a Canadian delegation of about fifteen representatives from McMaster University, Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), Queen’s University, and Western University will be welcomed in Grenoble for three days of exchanges with researchers and stakeholders in the local scientific community, including the UGA, the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA), the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), the Laboratory of Subatomic Physics and Cosmology (LPSC), and the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL).
The scientific program will focus on five major themes: radiopharmacy and radioisotopes, beam sciences, next-generation nuclear reactors, materials for the nuclear industry, and the environmental and societal challenges associated with this form of energy.
These exchanges will provide an opportunity to compare the expertise of the French and Canadian teams, identify areas where their expertise complements each other, and uncover new opportunities for collaboration in line with the needs of industry and society.
Beyond the scientific presentations, this workshop has a strategic goal: to explore the possibility of establishing a joint UGA–McMaster center in the field of nuclear energy.
This center would not necessarily constitute a new physical or legal entity. Rather, it would take the form of a flexible, clearly defined, and visible framework for cooperation, enabling the pooling of expertise and the development of long-term joint projects.
The goal would be to structure the collaboration between the two universities around three complementary areas: scientific research, education, and innovation.
The discussions will therefore focus on identifying new joint research projects, expanding exchanges of researchers and students, and seeking funding to support these initiatives.
The final day of the workshop, December 11, will take place at theInstitut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble, one of Europe’s leading neutron research facilities.
This meeting will provide an opportunity, in particular, to formalize the partnership announced between Canada—represented by McMaster University—and the ILL. This cooperation is intended to give Canadian scientists access to the institute’s neutron research facilities and to strengthen international collaborations in this field.
