The 8th issue of the NERIS Newsletter is now available. This edition is dedicated to the recent NERIS activities, cooperation with European research platforms on Radiation Protection R&D and the announcements.

The Newsletter includes:

• Editorial
• Feedback on the Fifth NERIS General Assembly
• International Training Course on « Preparedness and response for nuclear and radiological emergencies » in Mol
• Training Course on « Late Phase Nuclear Accident Preparedness and Management” in Gomel
• Cooperation with MELODI, ALLIANCE and EURADOS at the occasion of the Sixth International MELODI Workshop in Barcelona
• Second set of recommendations from the Japan Health Physics Society on radiation protection issues after Fukushima accident
• Announcements

Coming to UPM:

• Download the Madrid metro map
• Download the information about going to UPM

Hotels near UPM:

• NH-Zurbano
• NH-Breton

Hotels between UPM and CIEMAT:

• HUSA Moncloa
• HUSA Princesa
• TRYP Madrid Washington
• TRYP Madrid Menfis
• T3 Tirol

The Fourth General Assembly of the NERIS Platform was held on the 21st of May 2013 at the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), Spain.

29 persons participated to the meeting.

The new Management Board has been elected for a three year period.

The activities of the NERIS Platform have been reviewed:

1. Working Group 2 on Involvement of Local Stakeholder (Deborah Oughton – UMB)
2. Working Group 3 on Contaminated Goods (Sylvie Charron -IRSN)
3. R&D Committee (Frank Hardeman – SCK CEN)

Download the Agenda of the Fourth General Assembly (including list of participants)

Download the Minutes of the Fourth General Assembly

11-12 December 2013

First Invitation to the PREPARE (WP7) Table-Top Exercice: “Monitoring a large scale cross border contamination in the aftermath of a nuclear accident”

The Table-Top Exercise on “Monitoring a large scale cross border contamination in the aftermath of a nuclear accident” is organised within the FP7-project PREPARE, WP7 Training courses, dissemination of knowledge and exercises.

In the event of a nuclear or radiological emergeny, the aim of the emergency monitoring and measurement strategy would ultimately be to produce a radiological contamination map of the area affected to guide radiological evaluators and decision makers in optimizing the protection strategy recommended for the public. The results of any emergency monitoring programme are likely to take days or weeks to acquire and collect data, according to the extent of the contamination and the characteristics of the environment. Many emergency teams will be involved, especially in the case of an accident with the transboundary impact affecting different countries.

The main goal of this table-top exercise is to disseminate the existing emergency preparedness plans for emergency monitoring on a large scale contamination, based on a hypothetical accident scenario affecting different countries and identify possible pitfalls.

Download the invitation

12-13 September 2013

A French workshop has been organised in Bordeaux on 12-13 September at the initiative of the ANCCLI (the French Federation of Local Commissions of Information), the CLIN (Local Commission of Information) of Blayais and the NERIS-TP.

The local-national workshop on review of post-accident preparedness processes at the territory level aimed to make an inventory and to try to assess initiatives for post-accident preparedness in the European context at the local, regional and national levels, in France and other European countries. Elements of experience feedback from the post-Fukushima situation in Japan have been also presented; notably how different stakeholders are involved in some initiatives. The workshop provided an update on European approaches to research and experimentation on preparedness for post-nuclear accident situations at the European level.

The program and the presentations are available on
the ANCCLI website.

The outcomes of the First NERIS Platform Workshop on practical implementation of the new ICRP recommendations have been published in a supplemental issue (Vol. 48, issue 5) of the Radioprotection revue.

Background

The European Platform on Preparedness for Nuclear and Radiological Emergency Response and Recovery (NERIS platform) was established in June 15, 2010. The Mission of NERIS is to promote the involvement of different stakeholders and improve public confidence in capabilities of the key players in management of nuclear and radiological emergencies in Europe. The NERIS platform encourages European, national, regional and local authorities, technical support organisations (TSOs), operators, professional organisations, research institutes, universities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and national and local stakeholders to co-operate in emergency management, and to facilitate access to expertise and technology in maintaining competence in the field of nuclear and radiological emergency management for the benefit of European countries and citizens. The vision is that, by 2015, the NERIS association will be self-sustaining and, by 2020, all European members of the association will share common views and ap- proaches and developing and using compatible technology and methods for con- sequence management of the emergencies. the NERIS Platform has, in March 2012, 43 member organisations representing stakeholders with a wide range of backgrounds, e.g. authorities, emergency centres, research organisations and the academic community. a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) will provide the basis for priorities of future research and development in order to achieve the vision.

You will find the Table of contents and all articles on this page.

Over the last few years, the idea has slowly grown of forming networks and stable associations between European research partners, to promote joint research needs, establish strategic priorities, and develop cooperation in the implementation of research, in particular through a better integration of national R&D programmes within such a holistic European approach.

The aim is to resolve major scientific questions which condition the further enhancement of radiation protection practice in Europe and beyond, such as for example better understanding individual radio-sensitivity, or the nature of dose/effects relationships for low dose exposures, which requires the enhancement of radiobiology and radio-toxicology knowledge in particular. This knowledge then needs to be transferred and developed into doctrines and operational tools to manage issues such as those related to the presence of radioactive contaminants in the environment, or to the management of radiological emergencies and the remediation of the contaminated sites.

For this reason, MELODI, ALLIANCE, NERIS and EURADOS were established, each grouping specific research areas: MELODI focuses on low dose ionising radiation research, Alliance groups research initiatives on radioecology, NERIS is about emergency preparedness and response as well as governance of post-accidental situations and EURADOS specialises in dosimetry. The intention to establish a joint research agenda was then taken to the next level, not in the least by initiatives from the European Commission, but also by leading European research institutes, resulting in the signature of this MoU.

The cooperation between MELODI, ALLIANCE, NERIS and EURADOS was initiated under the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7) and more in particular in the form of a project called “OPERRA” (Open Project for the European Radiation Research Area). OPERRA aims at establishing the necessary structures for managing long-term European research programmes in radiation protection.

The signatory organisations decided to establish a Joint Radiation Protection Research Roadmap Committee, with the aim to coordinate as necessary their respective strategic research agendas and priority roadmaps. Further joint working groups will be set up in areas of common concern, for the benefit of European radiation protection research. MELODI will be responsible for the administration of the coordination.

The MOU is open to adhesion for other European organisations with interests in radiation protection research.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the Radioecology ALLIANCE, NERIS, MELODI and EURADOS platforms was signed by (from left to right) Frank Hardeman (ALLIANCE President), Thierry Schneider (NERIS president), Jacques Repussard (MELODI President) and Filip Vanhavere on behalf of Helmut Schuhmacher (EURADOS President) in the presence of Bruno Schmitz (Head of Unit K4 “Fission” at the Directorate General for Research and Innovation).