NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) has been awarded a Gateway for Accelerated Innovations in Nuclear (GAIN) Voucher by the U.S. Department of Energy for its KRONOS MMR™ Energy System development.

The voucher, designated NE-26-38854, will fund collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to develop an uncertainty quantification framework for the KRONOS reactor design. The project focuses on applying SCALE/TSUNAMI code suite to analyze nuclear data, modeling assumptions, and operational parameters affecting reactor physics metrics including reactivity, power distribution, and temperature coefficients.

"The receipt of this DOE's GAIN Voucher Award represents another important achievement for our engineering and scientific teams," said Alisha Kasam-Griffith, Director of Reactor Design at NANO Nuclear. The collaboration will enable access to ORNL's expertise and analytical tools recognized by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

This marks NANO Nuclear's second GAIN voucher award as a company and the first specifically for the KRONOS MMR™ Energy System. The patented KRONOS system is a stationary high-temperature gas-cooled reactor currently in construction permit pre-application engagement with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

GAIN vouchers provide funding to DOE laboratories rather than direct financial awards to companies. The program grants innovators access to nuclear research expertise across the DOE national laboratory complex to overcome technological and commercialization challenges.

The uncertainty quantification framework will support design validation, regulatory engagement, and commercialization efforts for the microreactor technology. NANO Nuclear has completed site characterization for the KRONOS system in partnership with the University of Illinois.

The collaboration aims to strengthen confidence in design margins and reduce regulatory uncertainty as the company advances the reactor through development, licensing, and deployment phases.