The European Radioecology ALLIANCE enhances its cooperation
In the course of November 2013, the IUR, represented by its chair, Dr François Bréchignac, and the ALLIANCE, represented by Frank Hardeman, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
The IUR and the ALLIANCE have agreed to cooperate to promote a common strategy and the implementation plans for research, to conduct joint activities, to promote and conduct sound research in all aspects of environmental radioactivity and radioecology, to promote exchange of information and to author joint publications and presentations in the domains of activity they share.
The cooperation as such includes radiation ecology and biology, environmental monitoring, radioecological aspects of (post-)emergency preparednes, ecological risk assessment, ecotoxicology, environmental health physics, tracer studies and microbiology and biotechnology.
We are convinced that this cooperation will lead to enhancing the research capacity in radioecology within Europe.
On 5 December 2013, a joint Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Brussels, on the premises of the European Commission, between four major organisations fostering research in a domain of radiation protection:
- The European Radioecology ALLIANCE, active in the domain of environmental radioactivity and radioecology.
- The MELODI Association, active in the domain of low dose research, and extending its activities towards coordination of projects in the field of radiation protection in general.
- The NERIS association, active in the field of emergency preparedness and response, and post-emergency management.
- The EURADOS association, working in the domain of personal dosimetry.
It is anticipated that this cooperation might even be extended to other associations in the future.
We consider this a major step towards more sustainability of European research in the wide area of radiation protection. The cooperation shall lead to a better identification of complementarity in research and a more effective use of means (expertise, infrastructures, models).