Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the management and operating contractor at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Savannah River Site, established the Office of Innovation in September, the prime said in a press release Wednesday.
The Office of Innovation will be a dedicated hub for research and technology at Savannah River Site and will craft a “strategic research plan that aligns discretionary investments with NNSA priorities,” the release said.
This office will also function as an intersection between the private sector and academic institutions including partnering universities Clemson University, University of South Carolina and Georgia Institute of Technology.
“This effort is designed to accelerate breakthroughs that cut project timelines, lower costs, modernize outdated practices, address technological obsolescence, and bolster programs essential to national security,” Greg Cefus, director of the Office of Innovation, said in the release.
The Office of Innovation will also oversee the Plant-Directed Research, Development, and Demonstration Program, which was established in the fiscal 2001 National Defense Authorization Act. The program’s shift to the Office of Innovation will allow it to encompass pit production programs and look into replacing aging technologies.
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions is a Fluor-led joint venture, featuring Huntington Ingalls Industries subsidiary Newport News Nuclear. The request for proposals is out for teams that take over management and operations at the site potentially on Oct. 1, 2026. Proposals are due April 28 by 2 p.m. Eastern time.