EMN for Radiation Protection activities within EMPIR 19NET03 support BSS

The focus of the first meeting of the steering committee of the European Metrology Network for Radiation Protection (EMN RP) in February 2022 was the creation of the Strategic Agenda (SA) on the goal, vision and mission of the EMN and the development of a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) through identification and prioritization of metrological research needs to support European legislation and regulation in Radiation Protection. The EURAMET and EMN RP online event titled “Support for technological trends: EURAMET’s Work Programme on Metrology for Industry”, held in October 2022, aimed to engage stakeholders.

The European Metrology Network for Radiation Protection (EMN RP) was initiated within the scope of the EMPIR 19NET03 supportBSS project [1]. The network was founded in September 2021 after approval by decision of the 15th General Assembly of EURAMET.

By providing a harmonized, coordinated and smartly specialized metrological structure, this metrology network is to function as a central contact point. Its aim is to cover the metrological needs specified by stakeholders and addressed in European regulations on radiation protection in order to improve the protection of the public, workers, patients and the environment from the hazards arising from environmental, occupational and medical exposure to ionizing radiation.

Currently, the EMN RP has 16 members and four partners, including National Metrology Institutes (NMIs), Designated Institutes (DIs), and institutes and organizations in the field of radiation protection [2].

In 2021, the members of EMN RP elected their Chair, Annette Röttger (PTB, Germany), Vice‑Chair, Teemu Siiskonen (STUK, Finland), and Secretary, Behnam Khanbabaee (PTB, Germany) from among the delegation members. They will serve a three‑year term.

The first meeting of the steering committee was organized in February 2022 as the first activity for the EMN in connection with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). One of the important topics discussed at this meeting was the development of two essential documents: the general Strategic Agenda (SA) document on the goal, vision and mission of the EMN and the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) based on the need for research in metrology to support the Radiation Protection regulation. It is therefore important that the stakeholders’ metrology‑related needs be identified and properly prioritized in order to provide guidelines for the upcoming calls of the European Partnership on Metrology.

To achieve this goal, the EMN RP conducts regular workshops and online surveys to involve stakeholders. On 5 and 6 October 2022, EURAMET and the EMN RP hosted the online event for stakeholders titled “Support for technological trends: EURAMET’s Work Programme on Metrology for Industry”. In this brainstorming workshop, various radiation protection experts used the opportunity to exchange ideas and solutions on unresolved challenges in the field of radiation protection. The topics discussed included radon measurements, the future of neuro dosimetry, FLASH therapy, the implementation of new operational quantities, metrology in pulsed fields, radiation protection at the workplace, dose estimation, and measurement capabilities at nuclear power plants [3].

In addition, a survey was conducted to understand the basic needs of stakeholders with respect to general and vocational training in the field of radiation protection. Knowledge transfer and capacity building in radiation protection are vital for ensuring safe environments for citizens to live and work, and to enable compliance with national and European regulations. The EMN RP focuses on the field of metrology, for example, traceable radiation and dose measurements that underpin radiation protection regulations. Knowledge transfer and capacity building in the field of radiation protection include training opportunities, regulatory compliance support, interlaboratory comparisons, and more [4].

The second EMN RP annual general meeting took place in a hybrid format at the IST Lisbon on 13 April 2022. It was organized by the supportBSS Consortium. The partners and key stakeholders of EURADOS e.V., BIPM/CCRI, IAEA, TC‑IR and ICRP presented their statements and expressed their interest in a cooperation with EMN RP.

The EMN RP consults its stakeholders per email, via the EURAMET website and the EMN RP e‑newsletter and keeps them informed about workshops, CCRI webinars, publications, conferences and other events.

References

[1]        Support for a European Metrology Network on reliable radiation protection regulation
https://www.euramet.org/research-innovation/search-research-projects/details/project/support-for-a-european-metrology-network-on-reliable-radiation-protection-regulation/

[2]        EMN for Radiation Protection Member Institutes
https://www.euramet.org/radiation-protection-member-inst

[3]        Metrology for Industry (Call 2023): Open consultation on Metrology for Radiation Protection, 5-6 October 2022, Online event
https://www.euramet.org/publications-media-centre/events/detail/event/metrology-for-industry-call-2023-open-consultation-on-metrology-for-radiation-protection

[4]        Survey on stakeholder needs for knowledge transfer and capacity building in the field of radiation protection metrology
https://www.euramet.org/survey-emn-radiation-protection

Contact

B. Khanbabaee, Department 6.3, Working Group 6.31