European Concerted Programme on Radiation Protection Research – CONCERT

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

European Joint Project “Concept for Radiation Protection R&D in Europe”
(Call: NFRP-07-2015; HORIZON 2020, EURATOM)
Head: Thomas Jung, PhD (Bundesamt fur Strahlenschutz, Salzgitter, Germany)

Partner in Croatia: Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Zagreb
Duration: 2015-2020

The CONCERT (European Joint Programme for the Integration of Radiation Protection Research under Horizon 2020) operates as an umbrella structure for the research initiatives jointly launched by the radiation protection research platforms MELODI (the fields of low dose risk research), ALLIANCE (radioecology), NERIS (nuclear emergency preparedness), EURADOS (dosimetry), and medical radiation protection. CONCERT as a co-funded action (70 % EC and 30 % national funding) aimes to integrate national and European research programmes in order to make better use of public R&D resources by enhancing the visibility of infrastructures and facilitating access to them in order to make radiation protection more effectively by joint research efforts in key areas.

Programme is coordinated by the Federal Office of Radiation Protection (BfS) in Germany. To reach its goals, CONCERT has seven Work Packages: three Packages are mainly concerned with joint programming and organising as well as administering open research calls, another three Packages are dedicated to integrative activities such as access to research infrastructure, education and training and stakeholder involvement as well dissemination, and finally one on coordination of CONCERT itself. CONCERT guides radiation protection research in Europe. This joint effort is performed with a strategic perspective on supporting excellent science, on building and maintaining high competence in radiation and radiation protection science, as well as further promoting integrative and multidisciplinary research at a European level. CONCERT contributes to the sustainable integration of European and national research programmes in the field of radiation protection. A crucial step is, of course, to initiate and fund concerted joint research actions.

Based on the platform SRAs and joint programming, CONCERT will develop research priorities, align them with priorities from participating Member States and seek further input from society and stakeholders. It will reach out to engage the wider scientific community in its projects, aiming to answer the needs in radiation protection for the public, occupationally exposed people, patients in medicine, and the environment. CONCERT will support the implementation of the revised European Basic Safety Standards by giving the best possible advice based on evidence from research. The aim of CONCERT is to set in motion the convergence of the three focusing forces – scientific community, national agencies and research institutions – and EURATOM policies in order to achieve new breakthroughs in radiation protection research. CONCERT strives for a better integration of the radiation protection scientific community at EU level, leading to a better coordination of research efforts and provision of more consolidated and robust science based policy recommendations to decision makers in this area. In the long-term, these efforts will translate into additional or improved practical measures in view of the effective protection of people and the environment.

CONCERT has the mission to further reduce uncertainties in the assessment and management of radiation risks to the environment and humans by targeted science. To achieve this, CONCERT will initiate an open exchange of knowledge and information between science, regulation and society. With this purpose, two major open RTD calls of approximately 10,000,000 € in spring 2016 and 7,000,000 € in spring 2017, respectively, have been launched. Universities and research institutes from all over Europe have the opportunity to join in research consortia and submit proposals. CONCERT is open to new national Programme Owners and Programme Managers at all times. http://www.concert-h2020.eu/en/Publications