Mizzou announces contract signing for NextGen MURR project

April 16, 2025, 12:11PMNuclear News
A reactor operator retrieves a sample can from the MURR, as seen from above. (Photo: University of Missouri)

The University of Missouri announced today that it has signed a $10 million contract for the initial design phase of the $1 billion-plus state-of-the-art NextGen MURR research reactor project.

The contract was signed with a consortium that includes Hyundai Engineering America, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Hyundai Engineering Company, and MPR Associates for the initial design and licensing of the new reactor. It marks the first time the Korea-based companies will build a reactor in the U.S., although consortium members have extensive experience building reactors elsewhere around the world.

The project will be the largest capital initiative in the university's 186-year history.

Background: Mizzou’s existing research reactor—the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR)—at 10 MW is the most powerful university research reactor in the United States. It has been operational since 1966.

According to the university, MURR has become the nation's most significant research reactor for fighting cancer. University research has led to the development of lutetium-177, which is now the active ingredient in cancer-fighting radiopharmaceuticals Pluvicto and Lutathera.

A university spokesperson noted that MURR is the sole domestic provider of Lu-177 and three other medical radioisotopes: yttrium-90, iodine-131, and iridium-193. Last calendar year, nearly 500,000 people received doses of a cancer-fighting medicine whose active ingredient was created at MURR.

NextGen MURR: The new reactor will be a 20+ MW open-pool light water facility. Because the original reactor—MURR—will remain operational, research and production capacity at the university will triple for crucial medical radioisotopes, according to the university.


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