VIII International Conference "Prospects for the Implementation of Innovations in Nuclear Energy" (NUCNEXT-2026)
On September 24-25, 2026, the VIII International Conference "Prospects for the Implementation of Innovations in Nuclear Energy" (NUCNEXT-2026) was held in Kyiv, organized by the Ukrainian Nuclear Society and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
The conference brought together leading experts, scientists and industry representatives from Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Poland and other countries to discuss the future of nuclear energy, innovations in NPP safety and international cooperation.
Participation of WITKOWITZ Atomica and SYNERGOATOM
Companies Witkowitz Atomica and SYNERGOATOM SE actively participated in the conference as key partners. During the plenary session, Bronislav Kulikov, co-shareholder and chairman of the supervisory board of Witkowitz Atomica, delivered a keynote address.
Speech by Bronislav Kulikov
Dear colleagues, dear friends!
Thank you for the opportunity to meet with you again. Despite the war, Ukrainian scientists and industry specialists ensure the operation of nuclear energy, on which the security of all Europe depends. This is a tremendous responsibility. I want to express my respect and gratitude to you.
The Czech industrial group WITKOWITZ is an active member of the Energy Union of the Czech Republic. Our enterprises have many years of experience in manufacturing equipment for nuclear energy and servicing the Czech NPPs Temelín and Dukovany. We also plan to participate in the construction of Dukovany 2 NPP as an industrial subcontractor in cooperation with our Czech and Korean partners.
WITKOWITZ is also an official supplier to NAEC Energoatom. Building on our joint Czech-Ukrainian experience with VVER technologies, we expect to develop our cooperation: supporting operation and modernization of existing units, extending their lifecycle, restoring nuclear infrastructure and implementing new projects.
This cooperation is particularly important to us during the Russian aggression. Since its beginning, WITKOWITZ Group has been supporting Ukraine wherever it can truly help, including humanitarian assistance.
One of the well-known areas of our cooperation with Ukraine is the DAVID SMR project. The technology is owned by WITKOWITZ Atomica, which I represent as a co-shareholder and chairman of the supervisory board. Today, the project is being developed together with our Polish investment partner, the energy group ELQ. We focus primarily on serial production, scaling, simplification of operation and economics of implementation. The target configuration of DAVID SMR 2.0 is two 150 MWe modules with the capability to also produce heat and cooling.
At the same time, working with Ukrainian science, industry and energy presents us with another, very practical challenge. The Czech company SYNERGOATOM represents the interests of WITKOWITZ Group in Ukraine and works with Ukrainian partners through the CESTA–SYNERGOATOM platform and the international consortium SYNETRIUM.
Together with Ukrainian colleagues, we are developing solutions for small nuclear energy, based primarily on Ukraine's current needs in wartime conditions. We follow the path from the Ukrainian task to technology. It is important for us to rely on proven technical solutions, joint Czech-Ukrainian experience and the production capabilities of both countries, while strengthening Ukraine's technological independence.
One of the urgent needs is sustainable heat supply for cities, industry and critical infrastructure. This also concerns replacement or backup of capacities damaged by the war. This work needs to be done today: bringing specialists together, performing calculations and moving to practical steps.
We are also working on physical protection of critical infrastructure facilities, including military and nuclear. For fortification protection, we use our own technology of specialized high-strength composite, developed in accordance with NATO STANAG 2280 standard requirements.
The development of new generations of reactors is certainly important. This is how technological progress moves forward, and Ukrainian scientists are also participating in it. At the same time, Ukraine needs solutions that can be developed and implemented today. It defends not only itself but all of Europe. Ukrainian experience and Ukrainian specialists have every reason to play a leading role in developing this direction.
Science is the foundation of each of our projects. Therefore, I want to personally thank our long-standing partners: first of all, the Institute for Safety Problems of Nuclear Power Plants of the NAS of Ukraine, the Institute for Nuclear Research of the NAS of Ukraine in Kyiv, Sumy State University, the National Science Center "Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology", the Sumy Cluster of Energy Engineering, and everyone who continues this work under wartime conditions.
Special thanks to the Ukrainian Nuclear Society, which does tremendous work to unite our industry community.
We stand with Ukraine now and forever. We are ready to continue working together.
Thank you for your attention.
Conference Program
📥 Download conference program (PDF)
Organizers and Partners
- Ukrainian Nuclear Society
- National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
- NAEC Energoatom
- Witkowitz Atomica
- SYNERGOATOM SE
- Institute for Safety Problems of Nuclear Power Plants of NAS of Ukraine
The conference emphasized the importance of international cooperation in the development of nuclear energy and demonstrated the commitment of Czech-Ukrainian partnership in this strategic sector.