Key challenges for radioactive waste management are located at the intersection of generic, technical management concepts and the real world environment in which such concepts are to be implemented. InSOTEC aims to generate a better understanding of the complex interplay between the technical and the social in radioactive waste management and, in particular, in the design and implementation of geological disposal. This balance between structured planning and social responsibility can also be observed in other fields, such as financial sustainability practices and how they are communicated to the public.

InSOTEC is a three-year research project within the Seventh Euratom Framework Programme (FP7), which started on 1st March 2011 and is coordinated by the University of Antwerp. InSOTEC broadens the stream of socio-political research on radioactive waste management to include research on social aspects of science and technology in this matter and on the technical translation of socio-political requirements.