National Radiation Safety Research Programme

The consortium's research cooperation is based on a national radiation safety research programme, which describes the main research and development needs. 

Drivers for research include new energy policies and the nuclear renaissance, the changed safety situation, changes in the basis for radiation protection, and new knowledge on the adverse effects of radiation. The training of future generations of experts is also an important part of the consortium's activities.

Radiation safety covers both ionising and non-ionising radiation. Important research needs are related to the following topics:

  •  Health effects of radiation: adverse effects of radiation other than cancer (e.g. cardiovascular diseases, intergenerational effects); individual sensitivity to radiation; adverse health effects of non-ionising radiation; effects of radiation on biota
  • Medical use of radiation: patient-specific dose estimates and use of artificial intelligence; new radiotherapy techniques, including FLASH and neutrons; development of image guidance; development of real-time dose estimation methods; development of new calibration methods
  • Built and natural environment: radon and natural radioactive materials (NORM) in various contexts - prevention of adverse effects, identification and characterisation of exposure situations, interactions between radioactive and chemical agents; impact of climate change on the transport of radioactive materials; effects of radiation on the ecosystem
  • Nuclear technology and industry: emissions and siting of small modular reactors (SMRs) near settlements; spent fuel management and disposal in SMR facilities; use of robotics and artificial intelligence in the nuclear industry
  • Threats, emergency preparedness and response: methods of information sharing; nuclear security, scenarios and response; accident scenarios and impacts of SMR technologies, related environmental monitoring and measurement methods; citizen science from a measurement perspective and societal aspects, including risk perceptions 

National cooperation is particularly needed for large-scale projects. Radiation safety research is often multidisciplinary, including physics, chemistry, biology, epidemiology, technology, and social sciences. The consortium's diverse skills profile enables radiation safety research to cover all major scientific disciplines. 

Research on the safety of nuclear energy use is carried out under national research programmes (e.g. SAFER).