Global Research for Safety (GRS)

The Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) is a non-profit organisation which deals with technical-scientific research and provides expertise. The company administers interdisciplinary knowledge, progressive methods and qualified data. GRS was established as a business in January 1977. The headquarters are in Cologne, other sites include: Berlin, Braunschweig and Garching nearby Munich. Currently, there are approximately 450 employees at GRS, 350 of whom work in the technical-scientific sector. GRS is only financed by contracts and the present annual volume of contracts is worth 55 million €. Competence fields GRS is active in the three fields of work of reactor safety, waste management and radiation and environmental protection. In each of these fields, GRS is recognised as a renowned research institution and an acknowledged technical safety organisation. These two functions complete each other: for example, the research activities of GRS involve i.a. the  development of analysis methods and calculation models that are used for the review of concrete practical issues. Conversely, the review of such issues and the evaluation of operating experience yield important clues for further research needs. Since expert knowledge from various fields of work is often required to deal with a particular project, GRS has established a range of interdisciplinary projects, many of which also benefit from international cooperation. The tight meshing of research and assessment and the intense cross-linking  of the different fields of work of GRS results in synergy effects that form an important cornerstone of the technical competence of GRS. In the field of reactor safety, GRS is the project management agency of the Federal Ministry of Economic Affaires and Energy (BMWi), holding federal funds in trust. In this role, it ensures the effective use of these funds. The following pages provide a survey of the fields of activity of GRS: Reactor safety research Reactor safety assessment Repository safety research Repository safety assessment Radiation and environmental protection Interdisciplinary projects and Project management agency.