MEENAS hand and hand with PIANOFORTE the European Partnership in European Radiation Protection Research

The six European radiation protection platforms represent the divers and multidisciplinary European radiation protection research community. Together we highly value integration and the expression of a common vision to ensure that radiation protection research and innovation maximally respond to the societal needs for radiation protection of humans and environment. Therefore, MEENAS, the Consortium of European Radiation Protection Research Platforms, MELODI, EURADOS, EURAMED, NERIS, ALLIANCE and SHARE, was officially established in March 2020. The broad objectives of MEENAS are to: • Promote the integration and the efficiency of European R&D in radiation protection to better protect humans (public, patients and workers) and environment. • Advance scientific excellence. • Further develop and implement the joint R&D roadmap. • Maintain and develop European research capacity. • Encourage scientific education and training and foster key research infrastructures in the field of radiation protection. • Foster international collaboration and collaboration with sister organizations and networks in a nonexclusive manner by open interaction with the wider research community and stakeholders. MEENAS operates as a strong shared-voiced vehicle towards third parties, such as the European Commission, and intends to enforce the position of radiation protection research in Europe and beyond. MEENAS contributed to shaping the European radiation protection Research and Innovation landscape. A robust radiation protection co-funded partnership vision document was established, which formed the basis for PIANOFORTE (Partnership for European research in radiation protection and detection of ionizing radiation: towards a safer use and improved protection of the environment and human health), our radiation protection R&D community response to the HORIZON-EURATOM-2021-NRT-01-09 call. The partnership established through PIANOFORTE is expected to lead to a more comprehensive long-term vision and better coordination of research efforts, in particular those regarding the risks associated with medical, industrial or environmental exposure to ionizing radiation, and on emergency management in relation to nuclear or radiological accidents. The vision supported by this Partnership is to provide a pan-European scientific and technological basis for a robust system of protection and more consolidated science-based policy recommendations to decision makers. In the long-term, these efforts will translate into additional or improved practical measures through innovation and improved scientific insights in view of a better outcome of patients suffering from cancer and the effective protection of people (public, workers and patients) and the environment. Highlights and importance of the PIANOFORTE project, specifically of interest for the radioecology community, and the role of MEENAS and ALLIANCE within PIANOFORTE will be presented. Three major 113 research priorities are identified, two of which have direct interest for radioecology: (1) To consolidate regulations and improve practices in domains using ionising radiation by capturing low-dose research advances; (2) To improve the anticipation and resilience in case of radiological or nuclear event and the management of legacy sites by providing a scientific basis to recommendations, procedures and tools. Research projects will be funded via open calls that will tackle questions related to those priorities and which are considered as most relevant for improving radiation protection people and the environment and providing solutions and recommendations.