BfS co-ordinates European Radiation Protection Research

More than 50 research institutions from 22 EU countries and Norway will closely co-operate in the field of radiation protection: A European Joint Programme on radiation protection research has been established at EU level with the CONCERT project, i.e. the European Joint Programme for the Integration of Radiation Protection.

"As the coordinator of the CONCERT project, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, BfS) will make decisive contributions to the further development of radiation protection in Europe", emphasised BfS-President Wolfram König when signing the contracts between the European Commission, the partner institutions and the BfS. "Assignment of this task reflects the appreciation of the work done by the BfS and is of particular importance since regulatory constraints are increasingly developed at international level.”

CONCERT is a joint project of the EU and its member states which assume joint financing: Over the next five years the largest European radiation protection programme so far will have available about 28 Million Euros for research and integrative measures , whereby the European Commission will bear 70 per cent of the costs. Integrative measures include, among others, targeted vocational education and training of junior researchers in radiation protection, better access to research and irradiation facilities for scientists, as well as a stronger connection of universities and research centres in radiation protection research.

With CONCERT, the European radiation protection research will focus more closely than ever before on

• improving radiation protection in Europe,
• giving scientific support to the transposition of the Euratom Basic Safety Standards for Radiation Protection (Directive 2013/59/Euratom) into national law
• establishing foundations for future regulations on radiation protection.

For this purpose, CONCERT rests on the current strategic research programmes of the European research platforms

• MELODI (radiation effects and risks),
• ALLIANCE (radioecology),
• NERIS (nuclear and radiological emergency protection), and
• EURADOS (radiation dosimetry),

as well as on the issues of radiation protection in medicine, taking advantage of the scientific proficiency developed in this field

BfS staff have been actively involved in the work done by these research platforms, especially by leading or participating in the corresponding working groups, thus making substantial contributions to the strategic orientation of the research programmes.