The International Regulatory Development Partnership (IRDP) assists countries with emerging nuclear power programs in developing organizational and programmatic resources for regulatory oversight. The program consists of three principal elements:
- Assistance in the development of regulatory agency infrastructure: organization, staffing, training, and technical support.
- Development of a nuclear regulatory program: laws, regulations, and regulatory guidance.
- Development and delivery of training for regulatory agency management and staff.
All work is conducted in accordance with an action plan that is jointly developed by NRC contractor staff and the management of the participating regulatory agency.
The program proceeds in three major steps: (1) developing training, (2) delivering training, and (3) providing bilateral consulting. A core group of training course has been developed and new courses are developed on an as needed basis. Training is typically delivered to a member country based on their stage of development and regulatory needs. Bi-lateral consultation is intended to be responsive to management challenges associated with developing a capable regulatory agency. The training development, delivery, and bi-lateral consultation activity has principally been the responsibility of Advanced Systems Technology and Management, Inc. (AdSTM) staff, many of whom are former NRC managers with extensive regulatory experience.
The program has used guidance produced by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and by countries with nuclear regulatory experience; especially smaller countries such as Finland. The program has made extensive use of NRC documents, including the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), the Standard Review Plan (NUREG-0800), regulatory guides, and review standards.