CONCERT: European Joint Programme for the Integration of Radiation Protection Research

CONCERT: 'European Joint Programme for the Integration of Radiation Protection Research' interlinks Europe-wide research in all fields of application of ionising radiation. 69 partner institutions from almost all EU countries plus Norway and Switzerland have joined forces to combine their expertise and research activities in order to improve radiation protection. CONCERT is the largest radiation protection research programme ever and is implemented within the framework of the European research programme Horizon 2020. CONCERT stands for "European Joint Programme for the Integration of Radiation Protection Research".

Aim: joint European programme on radiation protection research

CONCERT is aimed at establishing a joint programme on radiation protection research in Europe and to thus create synergy effects. The programme is intended to answer unresolved questions, reduce uncertainties and to provide scientific support in the implementation of the EURATOM basic safety standards on radiation protection into national law. It is also intended for establishing foundations for future legislation on radiation protection.

CONCERT unites the necessary scientific expertise from the fields of

• radiobiology,
• biophysics,
• epidemiology,
• medicine,
• radioecology,
• dosimetry
• development of models and predictions

among other things at the European level and integrates them into joint research projects.

It is based on the current strategic research programmes of the European research platforms

• MELODI (radiation effects and risks in the low dose range)
• ALLIANCE (radioecology)
• NERIS (nuclear and radiological emergency preparedness) and
• EURADOS (dosimetry)
• EURAMED (radiation protection in medicine)

Staff members of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection have been actively involved in the work of these research platforms for many years and have had decisive influence on the strategic orientation of the research programmes especially through leading and participating in the relevant working groups.

Funding

The project is jointly funded by the European Commission and the Member States (co-funding). The EU will support the largest radiation protection research programme ever in Europe with about 20 million Euros, distributed over 5 years. This is 70 % of the estimated project costs of about 30 million Euros in total.

Improving radiation protection in Europe

As coordinator of CONCERT, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection makes an important contribution to improving human and environmental radiation protection at the European level and in Germany. Furthermore, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection is thus intensifying its co-operation with other European institutions in the area of research funding and it has a major influence on defining the contents of the future European research landscape in the field of radiation protection.

Call for research proposals

Two open calls on current research priorities from all sectors of radiation protection have been launched. The first call took place in 2016, the second one early 2017. Within the scope of the calls, universities and research institutions from all over Europe had the opportunity to join forces in consortia and to submit proposals for research projects. Altogether nine research projects will be funded by CONCERT.