Towards a strategic research agenda for social sciences and humanities in radiological protection

Reflecting a change in funding strategies for European research projects, and a commitment to the idea of responsible research and innovation in radiological protection (RP), a collective of research institutes and universities have developed a prospective Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) in radiological protection. This is the first time such a research agenda has been proposed. This paper identifies six research lines of interest and concern: 1) Effects of social, psychological and economic aspects on RP behaviour; 2) Holistic approaches to the governance of radiological risks; 3) Responsible research and innovation in RP; 4) Stakeholder engagement and participatory processes in RP research, development, policy and practice; 5) Risk communication; and 6) RP cultures. These topics were developed through broad stakeholder consultation, in conjunction with activities carried out in the framework of various projects and initiatives (EU H2020 CONCERT programme, the EU FP7 projects OPERRA, PREPARE and EAGLE, the 2015-2018 RICOMET series of conferences, and the 2014 and 2016 International Symposia on Ethics of Environmental Health); as well as through dialogues with members of the European radiation protection research communities. The six research lines open opportunities to integrate a range of key social and ethical considerations into RP, thereby expanding research opportunities and programmes and fostering collaborative approaches to research and innovation

Towards a strategic research agenda for social sciences and humanities in radiological protection

peer reviewedReflecting a change in funding strategies for European research projects, and a commitment to the idea of responsible research and innovation in radiological protection (RP), a collective of research institutes and universities have developed a prospective Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) in radiological protection. This is the first time such a research agenda has been proposed. This paper identifies six research lines of interest and concern: 1) Effects of social, psychological and economic aspects on RP behaviour; 2) Holistic approaches to the governance of radiological risks; 3) Responsible research and innovation in RP; 4) Stakeholder engagement and participatory processes in RP research, development, policy and practice; 5) Risk communication; and 6) RP cultures. These topics were developed through broad stakeholder consultation, in conjunction with activities carried out in the framework of various projects and initiatives (EU H2020 CONCERT programme, the EU FP7 projects OPERRA, PREPARE and EAGLE, the 2015-2018 RICOMET series of conferences, and the 2014 and 2016 International Symposia on Ethics of Environmental Health); as well as through dialogues with members of the European radiation protection research communities. The six research lines open opportunities to integrate a range of key social and ethical considerations into RP, thereby expanding research opportunities and programmes and fostering collaborative approaches to research and innovation

Revised Strategic Research Agenda for Social Sciences and Humanities in Radiation Protection

This document describes the research priorities and the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) in radiation protection for the next 20 years. It also reports on the results of a first gap analysis. The SSH SRA is a living document, under constant development through the engagement of the SSH community in radiation protection field and other stakeholders, especially technical and research platforms. To this end, the SSH community in radiation protection field will structure and enhance dialogue at the European level among the different stakeholders, fostering the sharing of knowledge and information among various disciplines working on aspects of radiation protection and identify the SSH research needs in the field of radiation protection. The objective of Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) in radiation protection is to contribute towards improvement of the Radiation Protection (RP) system by coordinating European SSH research in the field of radiation protection; supporting education and training; knowledge management and sharing; and identifying SSH state of the art across domains. It is only by enabling SSH research to play a fuller and stronger role through a coordinated SRA mechanism that societal perspectives on research relating to radiation protection will be realised. The SSH SRA has been developed through a broad stakeholder engagement process. The research topics to be included in the SSH SRA have been collected through various activities carried out in the H2020 projects CONCERT and the FP7 projects OPERRA, PREPARE and EAGLE, notably the RICOMET 2015, 2016 an RICOMET 2017 conferences and Symposium on Ethics of Environmental Health, as well as in dialogues with members of the radiation protection platforms, carried out in a context of the CONCERT 2.6 task group. These research topics have been prioritised for the first time at the Radiation Protection Week in Oxford (19-23 September 2016) with task 2.6 members, SSH community and platforms, and further debated upon at the RICOMET Conference 2017 (June 27th to 29th, Vienna) with a large audience. The version summarised in this report is the most recent revision on of the SSH SRA (D2.8 and D2.10)

Imagining "engagement": A hands-on experiment

Using participatory mapping techniques, social scientists at the 2018 Radiation Protection Week in Rovinj (Croatia) invited conference attendees to write and draw their thoughts about stakeholder engagement in radiation protection on a giant tableau. In the course of three days, a full map emerged assembling stakeholder names, relationships, practices, and visions of stakeholder engagement for the future. The map and the process that accompanied its construction are an integral part of the EU-ENGAGE project, which seeks to address key difficulties and opportunities for stakeholder engagement in exposures to ionizing radiation

The Potsdam radon communication manifesto

Risk communication efforts to mitigate the second cause of lung cancer worldwide (after tobacco smoking) – the radioactive gas radon in buildings – are often ineffective. Therefore, new European legal requirements bind member states to prepare communication strategies to ‘… increase public awareness and inform local decision makers, employers and employees of the risks of radon…’ (Council directive 2013/59/EURATOM, ANNEX XVIII/(10)). This manifesto is written to support states to prepare an effective and efficient communication strategy and to avoid the main pitfalls in radon communication. It is based on the discussions that took place at a Workshop on Radon Risk Communication, organized by the German Federal Office of Radiation Protection (BfS) and hosted by the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies IASS in Potsdam, Germany from 8 to 10 of October 2019. The authors present a strategic view on the concrete measures that may be taken by authorities, experts and scientists to communicate the risk of radon to human health and to promote radon protection actions more effectively.ISSN:1366-9877ISSN:1466-446