The EU is lagging behind other parts of the world as far as investment in nuclear research and innovation projects is concerned, according to a new position paper by Foratom. The EU budget allocation is considerably lower, and the scope of nuclear R&D programmes are significantly less ambitious, compared with international counterparts, the paper says.In 2019 alone, US Congress devoted over €1.1bn for nuclear energy R&D. The funds are structured to deliver on areas linked to existing and future fission related technologies such as small modular reactors and accident tolerant fuel.