The ambition of the PIANOFORTE Partnership is to improve radiological protection of members of the public, patients, workers and environment in all exposure scenarios and provide solutions and recommendations for optimised protection in accordance with the Basic Safety Standards. Research projects focusing on identified research and innovation priorities will be selected through a serie of three competitive open calls. The input to define the research priorities will be based on the priorities defined in the Joint Road Map (JRM) developed during the H2020 CONCERT EJP but also on the results of ongoing H2020 projects and on the expectations expressed by other actions carried out in other European programmes, in particular the SAMIRA action plan. High priority will be dedicated to medical applications considering that 1) medical exposures are, by far, the largest artificial source of exposure of the European population and 2) the fight against cancer is a top priority of the present European Commission. In order to ensure an appropriate continuity in the research goals and methodologies, in line with the contents of the CONCERT JRM, two other priorities have been identified to further understand and reduce uncertainties associated with health risk estimates for exposure at low doses in order to consolidate regulations and improve practices and to further enhance a science-based European methodology for emergency management and long-term recovery. Once the research priorities defined, the open call system will promote excellence in science and widening participation through a process open to the whole radiation protection community. Beyond the research actions, the selected projects will be able to benefit from the system of sharing and mutualisation of infrastructures that will be implemented at the European level. This will be accompanied by education and training schemes for health workforce and young scientists to increase Europe’s research capacity in the field.

The overall aim of the DORADO project is to improve safety and efficiency in nuclear decommissioning by applying digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Building Information Models (BIM) with a dedicated decommissioning ontology. In DORADO, a holistic digital platform based on a data-driven approach will be created, integrating digital tools into a coherent suite customized for decommissioning applications. Once completed, the platform can be utilized especially for in situ waste characterization, planning segregation and packing remotely, robotics and remote handling systems, sampling and clearance of surfaces and structures, cost estimation, risk identification and knowledge management, including on-site voice assistance to the fieldworkers. DORADO will focus on eight technologies that will be developed and integrated to be used with a common data server combining the data flow into a BIM model. These include, e.g., point-cloud 3D models and change detection, digital twins based ALARA dose estimation, robot mission optimization and smart voice assistant interface. After the development phase, all the results will be demonstrated with data sets collected from real nuclear facilities. An end-user group is involved throughout the project, to ensure matching a market need. Main impacts are achieved by minimizing radiation exposure and risk of occupational incidents to workers and increasing the efficiency of decommissioning planning by enabling remote operations and planning. This can result in significant cost reduction and optimized waste management strategies as well as increase the public confidence towards nuclear energy. Benchmarking digital tools with demonstrations from nuclear facilities also assists the regulators to understand the technical potential and to update regulations to cover all the changes in the operating environment.

The project aims to establish and clarify the benefits and added value of more aligned and harmonised regulations and standards for prioritised topics related to decommissioning and initial phases of radioactive waste handling, including shared processing facilities between Member States (MS). The project has a two-phase approach: first engaging with Stakeholders to assess needs and pros/cons for harmonisation and identify priority areas for deeper analysis (WP2). The second phase will pursue deeper engagement with Stakeholders to further assess the highest ranked priority areas in Work Packages (WP) focusing on (i) cross border services and cooperation (WP3), (ii) circular economy (WP4), and (iii) advanced technologies (WP5). These WPs will review (inter)national practices, capture lessons learned, and assess opportunities. WP6 on Regulatory Framework will identify regulatory differences between MS and evaluate strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with harmonisation, while quantifying the benefits of aligned regulations and proposing harmonisation methodologies. The project will: - support coordination between Stakeholders, - enhance existing commitments to facilitate sharing and exchange of knowledge and experience, - develop strategies for shared treatment and storage facilities, cross border services and cooperation, and explore additional mechanisms to build capacity in MS, - assess and clarify the benefits and any disadvantages of harmonisation, - deliver S&T-based solutions and share best practices by engaging and supporting coordination between different actors through the TSOs and regulators, - define conditions and opportunities of a high safety circular economy. The action will reinforce the activities of the EURAD, PREDIS, and SHARE projects, while encompassing MS national programs and the wider European Community, including i.e. ERDO, ENSREG, WENRA, IAEA, OECD NEA, IGDTP, SNETP, DigiDecom.

Increasing concerns about new threats related to a possible major accident on a nuclear power plant or a tactical nuclear explosion, linked with the war in Ukraine, impose to EU Countries to improve their current capabilities to prepare for and respond to these possible large-scale accidents. The need for advanced technologies, interoperable risk assessment tools, and comprehensive emergency coordination strategies has never been more critical. GUARDIANS will deliver advanced, cost-effective technologies, and strategies to improve disaster emergency management in Europe. The project will enable the development of advanced radiological technologies (radioactive gas sensor, active dosimeter network), innovative and scalable strategies for triage (video analyses, digital triage), decontamination, and medical countermeasures (hydrogel, new strategy for stable iodine distribution). Autonomous means such as drones and robots equipped for radiological measurements and enhanced observation capabilities will increase overall responsiveness. A central web-platform GUARDNET, built upon existing operational tools, will facilitate real-time information processing, synthesis, mission management, and simulation services, to support decision-making. The active participation of first responders/receivers and decision-makers, along with the execution of two field tests and the assessment of the alignment between population needs and authorities' response strategies will ensure that GUARDIANS produces a new and enhanced operational capability to respond effectively to a radiological or nuclear emergency. GUARDIANS will significantly enhance European Member States' ability by providing stakeholders with state-of-the-art capabilities, innovative technologies, and effective coordination strategies. This will accelerate the decision-making process, reduce intervention times, and mitigate human and environmental impacts through improved protection of populations and infrastructures.