History and Achievements of GIF

DISCLAIMER: The entry into force of the 2025 GIF Framework Agreement on 1st March 2025 brings changes to the GIF membership. The website will be updated in due course to reflect these changes.

The history of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) stretches back to the early 2000s. Having existed for nearly a quarter of a century, GIF has enabled collective accomplishments that contribute to the advancement of next-generation nuclear energy systems. Building on these achievements, GIF continues to serve the international community and remains an essential international forum for future collaboration on Generation IV systems.

Origins of the Generation IV International Forum

GIF meetings began in January 2000 when the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology convened a group of senior governmental representatives from the original nine countries to begin discussions on international collaboration in the development of Generation IV nuclear energy systems.

This group, subsequently named the GIF Policy Group, also decided to form a group of senior technical experts to explore areas of mutual interest and make recommendations regarding both research and development areas and processes by which collaboration could be conducted and assessed. This senior Technical Experts Group first met in April 2000.

The GIF Charter

The founding document of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), a framework for international co-operation in research and development for the next generation of nuclear energy systems, is the GIF Charter which was first signed in July 2001 by Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Japan, Republic of Korea, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Charter was signed by Switzerland in 2002, Euratom in 2003, the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation in 2006.

In July 2011, the thirteen members agreed to sign an extension of the Charter signalling the wish to continue to co-operate in the research and development of Generation IV.  On 22 June 2016 Australia signed the Charter, thus becoming the 14th member.

Upon its entry into force the 2025 GIF Framework Agreement (1st of March 2025, see below for more information), while noting the importance of the Charter in the establishment of GIF in the early 2000s, highlights that the GIF Charter does not represent a political commitment among Parties to the 2025 GIF FA and that GIF has always been managed, as a practical matter, through the 2005 GIF Framework Agreement.

GIF Framework Agreement

A major milestone in the development of the Generation IV International Forum was reached when ten of the forum’s member countries signed the world's first agreement aimed at the international development of advanced nuclear energy systems, the Framework Agreement for International Collaboration on Research and Development of Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems. The annex to the Framework Agreement lists the implementing agents. 

GIF Framework Agreement extended for ten years

The ten-year extension of the Framework Agreement for International Collaboration on Research and Development of Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems was signed by France, Japan, Korea and the United States on 26 February 2015, in a ceremony held at the OECD in the presence of Mr Angel Gurría, OECD Secretary-General and Depositary of the Framework Agreement, and Mr William D. Magwood, IV, NEA Director-General. The Framework Agreement Extension was subsequently signed by Russia (June 2015), Switzerland (August 2015), South Africa (September 2015) and China (June 2016). With the signature of Canada and Euratom in October and November 2016 respectively, the Framework Agreement Extension has now been signed by all active GIF members. On 14 September 2017, Australia deposited its Instrument of Accession to the Framework Agreement. On 17 October 2018, the United Kingdom deposited its Instrument of Ratification, and the Framework Agreement entered into force ninety days later on 16 January 2019.

A new GIF Framework Agreement: the 2025 GIF Framework Agreement

With the expiration of the initial extended GIF Framework Agreement and in a changing nuclear and geopolitical landscape, negotiations for a new Framework Agreement were launched in 2023 and concluded in the summer of 2024. 

The new GIF Framework Agreement was open for signature on 15 October 2024 to Australia, Canada, Euratom, France, Japan, Korea, the People’s Republic of China, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.. 

It came into effect on 1 March 2025 with the signatures of: 

  • the UK and the US (18 November 2024 on the margins of COP 29), and
  • Canada (pending ratification), France, Japan, Switzerland (29 January 2025 at the OECD) 

The table below summarises the Parties to the 2025 GIF Framework Agreement, the System Arrangements and the Memoranda of Understanding.

PARTIES TO THE GIF FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT AND SYSTEM ARRANGEMENTS

Members

Framework Agreement

System Arrangement

Memorandum of Understanding

GFR

SCWR

SFR

VHTR

LFR

MSR

Australia

*
Invited to sign

 

 

 

*

 

*

Canada

x 

pending ratification

 

*

 

*

 

*

Euratom1

*

Invited to sign

*

*

*

*

*

*

France

x

x

 

x

x

 

x

Japan

x

x

x

x

x

*

 

People's Republic of China

*

Invited to sign

 

*

*

*

*

 

Republic of Korea

x

 

 

*

*

*

*

Republic of South Africa

*

Invited to sign

 

 

 

 

 

 

Switzerland

x

 

 

 

x

 

x

United Kingdom

x

 

 

x

x

 

 

United States

x

 

 

*

*

*

*

* indicates that the country/international organisation is invited to sign the FA or PA but has not done so yet

x indicates that the country/international organsiation has signed the FA or PA

1. The European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) is the implementing organisation for development of nuclear energy within the European Union.