Work packages

 

WP structure and brief information on the main aspects of each WP

The DoReMi project was built on seven work packages:

WP1 Network coordination and Management

Lead: Sisko Salomaa, STUK

The purpose of this WP was to ensure the effective administrative and financial management of the project in order to reach a good synergy between the partners. The overall objective of the managerial organisation was to provide necessary structures for participatory and efficient decision-making and coordination of RTD and other activities, fluent day-to-day management including flow of information and financing, reporting to EC, as well as providing support and guidance on project activities. The tasks related to this are:

• Overall legal, contractual and administrative management
• Overall financial management
• Establishment and implementation of the quality assurance (QA) activities
• Periodic meetings and activities of the General Assembly (GA), Management Board (MB) and External Advisory Board     (EAB)
• Follow-up for Performance indicators
• Management of flexibility funding
• Contingency planning

 

WP2 Structuring of MELODI

Lead: Dietrich Averbeck, IRSN/CEA

As part of DoReMi, the main aim of WP2 was to help develop the MELODI platform for the long term promotion of interactive and integrative research on low dose health risks in Europe. To generate new dynamism and new interactions between scientists of different fields, DoReMi initiated the following activities that will be further strengthened in MELODI:

• Development of a Joint Program of Integration
• Development of a Transitional Research Agenda (TRA) together with a Roadmap for DoReMi activities, covering the main research issues identified by HLEG
• Development of a long term  Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for integrated low dose research in Europe and the corresponding Roadmap for MELODI,
• Development of suitable dissemination tools for spreading information, knowledge and excellence including open, interconnected, public websites for DoReMi and MELODI,
• Involvement of experts contributing additional and new expertise and integration of new partners.

WP2 dealt with the strategic planning of research as well as the dissemination activities. The RTD tasks are: the establishment and updating of a Joint Program of Integration (Task 2.1), and the establishment and updating of a Transitional Research Agenda and Joint Program of Research (Task 2.2). The dissemination tasks are: the establishment and updating of the Joint Program of Spreading Excellence (Task 2.3), and seeking support of experts and new partners for integration (Task 2.4). All DoReMi partners participate in WP2 activities.

 

WP3 Training & Education

Lead: Andrea Ottolenghi, UNIPV

The main aim of WP3 was to help attract and support the top-level well-trained research scientists who will spear-head the low-dose radiation risk research community for the coming decades;

• To contribute to dissemination of the DoReMi RTD through T+E courses and events based at the centres of excellence in the DoReMi consortium;
• To facilitate the networking of training and research institutions by focusing on multi-centre events and courses;
• To provide funding support to T+E in a way that maximally benefits both the DoReMi RTD programme and also the larger European research community in the longer term.

 

WP4 Infrastructures

Lead: Laure Sabatier, CEA

Infrastructures are essential in order to fulfil low dose risk research objectives. Many types of facilities are required ranging from radiation facilities like large accelerators to data bases, human cohorts, tissue banks and platforms for sample analysis. The WP4 objectives are:

• To describe available facilities
• To identify the needs for existing facilities and for new ones with WP5,6,7
• To define with WP2 the infrastructures to be implemented within this NoE and those implemented with MELODI support in order to set-up sustainable funding
• To facilitate access to infrastructures in collaboration with WP3
• To launch calls for infrastructure accesses in collaboration with WP1, 2,5,6,7
• To give DoReMi participants access to the UMB irradiation facility
• To integrate the STORE platform into DoReMi and implement it as a pointer to existing datasets and biomaterial and/or a long-term data storage

Infrastructures programme enlargement:

 

WP5 Shape of Dose-Response

Lead: Simon Bouffler, DH-PHE

The two over-arching objectives of WP5 are:

• To improve knowledge of low dose/dose rate radiation cancer risk in humans
• To improve low dose/dose-rate risk projection models based on knowledge of the processes that drive carcinogenesis

Shape of dose response programme enlargement:

 

WP6 Individual sensitivities

Lead: Michael J. Atkinson, HMGU

Objectives:
To provide the molecular and experimental evidence needed to assess the plausibility of radiation protection practices that incorporate variables specific to the individual in assessing risk at low doses and low dose rates. As per the HLEG roadmap we will focus on identifying the causes and contribution of heritable differences in the sensitivity of individuals to the carcinogenic effects of low doses and low dose rates. The work package will perform 11 tasks that are designed to complement studies in WP5 and WP7, to open DoReMi via open calls and to develop MELODI as a platform to leverage additional radiation protection funding from national sources. WP6 will also work within MELODI to coordinate activities in characterising individual susceptibility with international research efforts with the existing low dose programmes in the US and Japan.

Individual sensitivities programme enlargement:

 

WP7 Non-cancer effects

Lead: Jean-René Jourdain, IRSN

The overarching strategic objective of WP7 is to implement a long-term, integrated approach involving several disciplines, namely, epidemiology, radiobiology, immunology and toxicology, for the purpose of risk evaluation for radiation-induced non-cancer effects. The epidemiological evidence for the non-cancer effects of low doses is still suggestive rather than persuasive and the multi targeted biological effects observed in chronically exposed experimental models with internal emitters are quite puzzling. At present, no convincing mechanistic explanations are available that can account for the findings observed.

To elucidate these scientific issues, a cross scientific network of experts in epidemiology, radiopathology, cell/molecular biology, immunology and toxicology is needed, to formulate open questions to be addressed, choose working hypotheses, design relevant cohort studies, decide on experimental models and protocols, and organize dedicated workshops.

Such an integrated view with shared common approaches should facilitate the interpretation and synthesis of results and should certainly help to better define future orientations.

Non-cancer effects programme enlargement: