Outcome of the European initiative for radiation protection research and future perspectives.

In 2009, the European Commission published the report of the high-level expert group that had been mandated to consider the scientific challenges posed by the issues of low dose effects of ionising radiation, and to formulate proposals for research policy evolution in this field at European level. This report formulated a first draft of a strategic research agenda. International scientific cooperation and an integrated approach are essential for the further development and enhancement of the international framework of radiation protection. This paper reflects on the results which have been gained through this integration approach: strategic research agendas have been established, policies and action plans have been developed for infrastructures and training education, several ambitious research projects have been launched, and a first draft of a European 'joint road map' for radiation protection research will be published. Reflecting on the challenges that lie ahead, this paper also presents the initiatives that the five European research platforms (MELODI: low dose research; ALLIANCE: radioecology; EURADOS: dosimetry; NERIS: emergency preparedness; EURAMED: radiation protection in medical applications) have jointly presented to the European Commission and Euratom member states to further enhance radiation protection research.

Joint research towards a better radiation protection-highlights of the Fifth MELODI Workshop.

MELODI is the European platform dedicated to low-dose radiation risk research. From 7 October through 10 October 2013 the Fifth MELODI Workshop took place in Brussels, Belgium. The workshop offered the opportunity to 221 unique participants originating from 22 countries worldwide to update their knowledge and discuss radiation research issues through 118 oral and 44 poster presentations. In addition, the MELODI 2013 workshop was reaching out to the broader radiation protection community, rather than only the low-dose community, with contributions from the fields of radioecology, emergency and recovery preparedness, and dosimetry. In this review, we summarise the major scientific conclusions of the workshop, which are important to keep the MELODI strategic research agenda up-to-date and which will serve to establish a joint radiation protection research roadmap for the future.