b'2020 - 2025PLANNING FOUNDATIONT he years covered by this plan present the NS&TAs a national laboratory, the role of INL is to provide directorate an extraordinary opportunity for leadershiptechnology innovation, creativity, objectivity, and strategic to advance critical national objectives. As we enter theassets that ensure our nations competitiveness, economic seventh decade of commercial nuclear energy, the futurestrength, and security in this dynamic global environment; for the U.S. nuclear industry is exceptionally challenging,this is a mandate incorporated in the present U.S. national with a competitive landscape that is leading to the closuresecurity strategy. Our ability as a nation to innovate, rapidly of commercial nuclear generating stations before the endtranslate those innovations to deployable products, and lead of their capital and regulatory life. At the same time, thein creating new technology markets is essential to meeting global market for applied nuclear technologies, includingthese goals. commercial nuclear energy and niche nuclear energyThe role of INL is important for U.S. competitiveness, applications, such as small and portable reactors, is robustparticularly in markets involving nuclear science and and growing with an array of technology providers servingtechnologies, as private sector and academic stakeholders a market expected to be valued at over $2.6 trillion in themany times do not have the special assets required to advance coming 20 years. International nuclear and radiologicalnew nuclear technology. The imperative to maintain and security and nuclear nonproliferation pose dynamic andenhance national nuclear science and technology assets complex challenges that will continue to shape U.S. energythat strengthen U.S. competitiveness is compelling. As a and export policy. At the same time, the U.S. is entering intodirectorate, our mission emphases, concentration, and ability a new industrial market reality of broad and aggressive globalto efficiently deliver must be equally compelling and focused economic competition shaped by rapidly growing megato serve the national need in this time of rapid global change.economies in which applied nuclear science and technology are incorporated into myriad markets. In the realm of nuclear science and technology, the U.S. is quickly entering a new day, characterized by a poor economic environment for large-scale domestic nuclear energy; diminished leadership and influence in a mature and growing global market; policy, regulatory, and economic environments that challenge the development and deployment of nuclear technology domestically andImage: NuScaleinternationally; and an uncertain federal energy research budget environment. However, there is also significant recent demonstration of support for nuclear energy from the policy community, as demonstrated by the passage of the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act (NEICA) of 2018; interest in niche applications for nuclear energy to power military, remote, space, and emergency response applications; and many new private sector entrants to nuclear energy innovation. And the growing recognition that climate change threatens to fundamentally disrupt societies is creating a broader appreciation of the need for nuclear energy. These challenges and opportunities offer an extraordinary chance to shape the future.Image: Third Way4'