NANO Nuclear Awarded DOE GAIN Voucher for KRONOS MMR™ Reactor Development

Collaboration with Oak Ridge National Lab to Advance Uncertainty Quantification and Sensitivity Analysis for Micro Modular Reactor Design

Apr. 9, 2026 at 12:03pm

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A highly structured abstract painting in soft, flat colors featuring sweeping geometric arcs, concentric circles, and precise spirals, conceptually representing the complex scientific forces and concepts behind the development of NANO Nuclear's KRONOS MMR™ Energy System.NANO Nuclear's collaboration with Oak Ridge National Lab aims to advance the KRONOS MMR™ Energy System through rigorous scientific analysis, a critical step in bringing next-generation microreactor technology to market.NYC Today

NANO Nuclear Energy Inc., a leading advanced nuclear micro modular reactor (MMR) company, has been awarded a Gateway for Accelerated Innovations in Nuclear (GAIN) Voucher by the U.S. Department of Energy. The voucher will fund a collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop a validated uncertainty quantification framework for NANO's KRONOS MMR™ Energy System, a key step in advancing the technology toward commercialization.

Why it matters

As a first-of-its-kind advanced reactor design, the KRONOS MMR™ requires rigorous analysis to demonstrate safety, performance, and licensing readiness. This DOE-supported collaboration with a leading national lab will help strengthen confidence in the reactor's design and support NANO's efforts to commercialize scalable, next-generation microreactor technology.

The details

The GAIN voucher will enable NANO Nuclear to apply ORNL's SCALE/TSUNAMI code suite to quantify the impact of nuclear data, modeling assumptions, and operational parameters on key reactor physics metrics for the KRONOS MMR™. This will help inform ongoing development and support pre-licensing engagement with the DOE and NRC.

  • NANO Nuclear was awarded the GAIN voucher on April 9, 2026.
  • The collaboration with Oak Ridge National Lab is expected to generate valuable data to advance the KRONOS MMR™ design.

The players

NANO Nuclear Energy Inc.

A North American advanced nuclear technology company focused on developing clean energy solutions, including its lead project, the KRONOS MMR™ Energy System.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

One of the U.S. Department of Energy's national laboratories, recognized for its expertise in nuclear research and analysis tools.

U.S. Department of Energy

The federal agency that awarded the GAIN voucher to support NANO Nuclear's collaboration with ORNL.

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

The federal agency responsible for licensing and regulating nuclear technologies in the United States.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

NANO Nuclear's partner in site characterization for the KRONOS MMR™ Energy System.

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What they’re saying

“The receipt of this DOE's GAIN Voucher Award represents another important achievement for our engineering and scientific teams, as well as for our company as a whole.”

— Alisha Kasam-Griffith, Director of Reactor Design, NANO Nuclear Energy

“We are pleased to receive our second GAIN voucher as a company and the first for our KRONOS MMR™ Energy System. This award reflects the progress we have made in advancing the micro modular reactor through its development stages.”

— Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman, NANO Nuclear Energy

“NANO Nuclear is continuing to advance the KRONOS MMR™ Energy System toward real-world deployment, and the award of this GAIN voucher provides meaningful support as we prepare the technology for the next phase.”

— James Walker, Chief Executive Officer, NANO Nuclear Energy

What’s next

The collaboration with Oak Ridge National Lab is expected to generate valuable data that will help inform ongoing development and support the positioning of the KRONOS MMR™ for future deployment.

The takeaway

This GAIN voucher award highlights NANO Nuclear's progress in advancing its innovative micro modular reactor technology and the company's commitment to working with leading national laboratories to ensure the KRONOS MMR™ is rigorously analyzed and positioned for commercialization.