Minor Actinides, Major Challenges, the Needs for and Benefits of International Collaboration

The role of experiments for the determination of minor actinide nuclear data is presented as essential to meet the tight uncertainties requirements derived by sensitivity analyses for innovative systems designed to significantly reduce the amount of high level nuclear waste. Recent, ongoing and planned experiments are highlighted emphasizing international collaboration and the European context. Specifically, the role of the MANREAD CRP, the European projects ANDES, ERINDA and EURFRAT, and the NEA databank and WPEC subgroups will be addressed. For 241Am capture and 240Pu fission are used to illustrate the generic situation with minor actinide experimental data and the discrepancy between achieved and target uncertainties. The importance of new high quality experiments, high quality reporting, diversity, new techniques, methods and facilities is stressed.