Nuclear Energy Agency Migrates SFCOMPO to GitLab
The NEA moved its database during the first half of 2026 to improve version control and research accessibility.
Updated on Oct. 20, 2026 in Nuclear
During the first half of 2026, the Nuclear Energy Agency transitioned its SFCOMPO database to the GitLab platform. This move provides version control and automated reviews for a collection containing over 24,000 measurements.
Why it matters
The migration reduces reliance on aging infrastructure and implements new data structures to improve machine-readability for nuclear researchers. These updates aim to minimize manual transcription errors and provide a transparent history of database changes.
The SFCOMPO database encompasses measurements for over 750 fuel samples from 44 reactors. The repository now utilizes new data structures that support both XML and JSON formats based on the Generalised Nuclear Data Structure.
The players
Nuclear Energy Agency
The Nuclear Energy Agency is an intergovernmental organization that facilitates cooperation among countries with advanced nuclear technology infrastructures.
The details
The agency adopted the GitLab platform to enable merge requests and automated documentation, while also creating the SFCOMPO Python package. This modernization serves as a template for other international nuclear databases, including the ICSBEP and IRPhE projects.
Timeline
The Nuclear Energy Agency migrated the database platform during the first half of 2026.
The Big Picture
This project integrates the Generalised Nuclear Data Structure into the SFCOMPO framework to standardize reporting across the global nuclear community. It marks a broader shift toward adopting universal, machine-readable formats for experimental nuclear data.
Researchers can now utilize the new SFCOMPO Python package to encode and access nuclear fuel data with greater efficiency. The move to a standardized, machine-readable format will likely accelerate future analysis and reduce the time spent on manual data processing.
The takeaway
The move to GitLab provides a modern framework that simplifies how international researchers interact with complex nuclear data. Users can benefit from the increased transparency and automated documentation features now integrated into the platform.
Further reading
Find more updates on current scientific standards and data management at Nuclear.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA).
