To reach the network objectives, all the organizations in SARNET contribute to a so-called Joint Programme of Activities (JPA), which can be broken in several elements:

• Ranking periodically the priorities of the research programmes, harmonizing and re-orienting existing ones and jointly defining new ones when necessary. Six highest priority safety issues were identified: in-vessel core coolability, molten-core-concrete-interaction, fuel-coolant interaction, hydrogen mixing and combustion in containment, impact of oxidising conditions on source term, iodine chemistry;
• Performing experiments on the abovementioned issues and jointly analysing their results in order to elaborate a common understanding of the concerned physical phenomena;
• Developing and validating ASTEC, which capitalizes in terms of models the knowledge produced in the network;
• Storing all the experimental results in a scientific database for a sustainable use;
• Developing educational courses, in particular for students and young researchers;
• Promoting personnel mobility between the various European organisations;
• Disseminating knowledge through the European Review Meeting on Severe Accident Research (ERMSAR) that becomes the major worldwide conference on severe accident research.

Network

In order to preserve the interest of the different organizations, a clear policy in terms of knowledge management, notably regarding access rights, has been defined. Reports on “protected” data will only be distributed to members who, through the activity they offer, increase significantly the value of the data (production of analyses, model development and assessment). In any case, the outcome of these programmes are models implemented in ASTEC and safety assessment methodologies, which are available for all the SARNET members, or other organizations that would like to use them for safety assessment or improvement of nuclear power plants.