WP2 Research and innovation projects

The main objective of this task is to define research priorities for radiation protection research which will serve the launch of the open calls for research and innovation projects for the duration of the Partnership. Calls must reflect a multidisciplinary and transnational approach, and priorities should integrate global EU policies and national research programs. In order to achieve an optimal harmonization with the main goals of Horizon Europe the priority setting will be aligned with the 3 pillars (excellent science, global challenges and European industrial competitiveness, innovative Europe) defined by Horizon Europe. The consensual list of research priorities in radiation protection elaborated in this task can be seen as the scientific workplan of the Partnership, and will serve for the preparation of the open calls text, to be launched under the responsibility of WP7.

The major input for research prioritization will come from

• the CONCERT Joint Roadmap for radiation protection research;
• the updated SRAs of the six platforms of MEENAS (MELODI, EURADOS, URAMED, NERIS, ALLIANCE and SHARE)
• POMs reflecting special national needs with a European interest and
• the views of the EURATOM STC on the CONCERT Joint Roadmap. Furthermore, input and outcomes from other EURATOM funded projects (e.g., MEDIRAD) and other EU initiatives such as SAMIRA will also be taken into consideration.

JRC involvement in the scientific projects will allow to better develop synergies and complementarities with the EC direct actions carried out by JRC and avoid duplication of efforts between the two programmes. Through collaboration with WP3 and the Stakeholder Advisory Board a continuous communication with radiation protection stakeholders (including also international initiatives such as directed by IAEA, UNSCEAR, NEA-CRPPH-HLEG, NGOS, civil society organisations) will be maintained during the whole prioritization process.

Objectives: To update the first edition of the Joint Roadmap for radiation protection research published in 2020, taking into account scientific progress and evolution of societal needs. As the Joint Roadmap is a document with a long-termvision, only one update is planned by the end of PIANOFORTE. Several preparatory steps are needed prior to publishing the second edition of the Joint Roadmap. The full trajectory towards the 2nd edition of the Joint Roadmap is within the scope of Task 2.2.

Several projects will be selected that will handle several aspects linked to research priorities defined in Task 2.1, so it is important that the results from these projects can be efficiently communicated to avoid overlap and to maximise the projects’ impact. In particular, through continuous cooperation between the projects from the start, particularly in relation to stakeholder engagement (WP3), dissemination (WP6), infrastructures (WP5) and education and training activities (WP4), the resources are used efficiently, the expertise is used widely across the projects, and stakeholders’ needs are addressed properly.

After each project selection round, synergies between projects will be discussed with selected projects’ participants (coordinators and Work package leaders), including new and already running PIANOFORTE projects. Tools will be developed to monitor the project outcomes and to communicate the results between projects, as well as to promote and monitor the integration of social sciences and humanities. A systematic follow-up and analysis of project outcomes will be carried out and new means of cooperation between projects will be suggested to, and discussed with, the project coordinators and the Stakeholder and Advisory Board (in collaboration with WP3).

Interaction with authorities, international organisations and other Horizon Europe initiatives and activities is analysed and possible ways to interact are promoted to projects. Moreover, the innovation and development in the projects are captured and are steered towards applications, and links to industry and other knowledge users are encouraged. The project outcomes are steered towards good practice guides, standardisation and recommendation forming to enable the efficient uptake of the results by the end users and other stakeholders such as authorities and international organisations.

Particular attention will be given to the integration of social sciences and humanities in funded projects. Guidelines will be set up to support cross-disciplinary collaboration and inclusion of social sciences and humanities research in radiation protection projects; these contributions will be monitored, and projects will be requested to report their achievements in this area using the abovementioned tools.

This task will coordinate, harmonize and stimulate activities related to the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data approaches in radiation protection topical fields. It will foster synergies between state-of-the-art AI research activities and radiation protection implementations while documenting and reviewing novel research works in the context of different thematic areas (such as medical, emergency response and recovery, radiation biology and radiation sensitivity). In the framework of generating interest in AI by radiation protection research groups in EU, key topics will be identified as potential study themes of R&I calls funded under PIANOFORTE. To this end, the requirements on training and validation data sets will be acknowledged along with pertinent limitations imposed by GDPR.

The Task objectives are to:

1. delineate the relevance and applicability of AI and big data technologies in RP domains and identify the thematic areas that appear to be more susceptible to AI implementations (e.g., radiology, radiotherapy, dosimetry, emergency preparedness and response),
2. identify and develop links with scientific communities specializing on AI and big data technologies,
3. promote the uptake and application of AI in the PIANOFORTE R&I calls.