Committees In order to fulfil the tasks of the Advisory Board's mandate, four committees were established, made up of members of the Advisory Board. The topics of these committees are strongly orientated towards the individual points of the mandate.

The following committees were formed:

• Radioactive Waste in Austria - Focus on Quantities

• Pathway to the Evaluation of Options for the Final Disposal

• Framework for Public Participation

• Timetable and Roadmap

The committee "Radioactive Waste in Austria - Focus Quantities" is responsible for the determination of the current inventory and prepares a forecast of the radioactive waste that will be produced in Austria by 2045. For further identification and characterization of the inventory, additional data is collected and evaluated, such as volume, radiological, chemical and physical characterization as well as origin of the waste to be stored.

Nuclear Engineering Seibersdorf GmbH (NES) was commissioned to prepare the inventory of radioactive waste in Austria. The inventory includes the amount of primary waste generated per year, the number of containers and the current and predicted total inventory up to 2045.

The report on the "Radioactive Waste Inventory" study was presented by NES at the fifth meeting on 19 and 20 October 2022 of the  Advisory Board. The study provided a detailed listing of the type and origin of radioactive waste as well as a forecast for waste to be generated in the future.

Based on the work of the meetings, the committee and the report on "Inventory of Radioactive Waste", the committee on "Radioactive Waste in Austria - Focus on Quantities" formulated recommendations, which were discussed and agreed with the Advisory Board.

The work on mandate item 1 "Radioactive Waste in Austria: Survey of the Status Quo" serves as a basis for the other mandate items and recommendations.

The committee "Pathway to the Evaluation of Options for the Final Disposal" deals with the mandate point 2 "Analysis of Options for the Final Disposal" as well as mandate point 4 "Development of a Timetable for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste". These two points are closely linked, since the key steps in the process essentially depend on the analysis of disposal options.

The task of the Committee  is to develop a methodological approach for the subsequent evaluation of various repository options. For this purpose, it will draw up roadmaps that identify both stakeholders and decision makers. In addition, the Committee recommends structuring the required content and proposes commissioning the necessary reports and studies.

Studies commisioned by the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management at the suggestion of the Committee:

1. "Legal Framework for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste" carried out by the University of Linz, Institute for Environmental Law. The report presents the international and European requirements for final disposal as well as the national legal situation. The report was presented at the sixth meeting on 1 and 2 February 2023.
2. "Methods for Estimating the Long-Term Behaviour and Dispersion of Radionuclides" conducted by the Institute for Isotope Physics of the University of Vienna and AGES. The report includes the scientific and technical methods of long-term behavior of radioactive material in the repository. The report was presented at the sixth meeting on 1 and 2 February 2023.
3. The report "Comparison of Options for Final Repositories" was prepared by the Institute for Applied Ecology (Germany) and includes the different available options for repositories. The report was presented during the eigth meeting on 27 and 28 September 2023.
4. The report "Proposal for Safety Criteria and Accident Scenarios" was commissioned to the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences's "Institute for Safety and Risk Sciences", The Technical University of Vienna's "Atomic and Subatomic Physics - TRIGA, Center for Labelling and Isotope Production", Nuclear Engineering Seibersdorf GmbH and AGES. This report makes proposals for the criteria concerning radiological safety as well as safety characteristics of the repository (safety criteria). The final report was presented at the seventh meeting on 10 and 11 May 2023.
5. "Proposal for Site Selection Criteria" was developed in cooperation with Nuclear Engineering Seibersdorf GmbH, AGES, Montanuniversität Leoben,  University of Vienna's "Department of Science and Technology Studies" and the Austrian Institute for Ecology. This study is based on all studies carried out to date, all of which will be incorporated into the site selection criteria. An interim report is to be presented at the eighth meeting of the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management. The report was presented by the authors at the ninth meeting on 31 January and 1 February.

A dedicated committee has been established for the further development of the timetable and roadmap ("Timetable and Roadmap" committee).

The committee drew up recommendations on the basis of the studies carried out, the input at the meetings and the work of the committee, which were discussed and agreed with the Advisory Board.

The committee on "Framework for Public Participation" develops issues relating to mandate item 3 on transparency and participations well as the level of knowledge of the population. It also provides preliminary work for a stakeholder map and key points for public relations and communication on the work of the Advisory Board.

The aim is to develop a participation concept that is taking technical, economic and social aspects into account. It should include recommendations on how and when the population is to be informed, involved and included.

The Environment Agency Austria was commissioned to conduct an exploratory study "Austria and its Radioactive Waste – What you always wanted to know and what we always wanted to ask you". The study will be carried out using qualitative social science methods selected in consultation with the  Advisory Board and the "Framework for Public Participation" committee. In order to determine the opinions and level of knowledge of various people in Austria on the subject of radioactive waste, the focus group method was chosen. The results of the study were presented at the seventh meeting on 10 and 11 May 2023.

The findings of the study were taken into account in the preparation of the participation concept. The participation concept was adopted at the tenth meeting on  16 May 2024. The recommendations drawn up by the committee were also discussed and decided on by the  Advisory Board.

As part of mandate item 4 "Development of a Timetable for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste" the Austrian Board for Radioactive Waste Management  is tasked with developing a timetable and roadmap for the management of radioactive waste generated in Austria. This strategic plan contains the most important objectives and the associated relevant milestones, key performance indicators and timelines. During the fifth meeting on 19 and 20 October 2022, the Advisory Board decided to set up a "Timetable and Roadmap" committee. This Committee is to finalize and further process the timetable and roadmap prepared by the AGES experts.

The timetable and roadmap is a living document and will be continuously adjusted based on new findings from the other reports and the participation concept. The report on the timetable and roadmap was adopted at the tenth meeting on 16 May 2024. The recommendations formulated by the committee were discussed and decided on by the Advisory Board.