CREAL hosts the Kick off meeting of DoReMi, a 13 million Euro European Project

On 25-28 January 2010, the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) is hosting the Kick-off meeting of DoReMi, a 13-million Euro EU Network of Excellence including 12 partner institutions* from 8 European countries.

This 6 year project, coordinated by the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) and funded by the Euratom Programme under EU Framework Programme 7, aims to promote the sustainable integration of low dose radiation risk research in Europe in order to provide answers to the key policy questions in radiation protection and public health.

DoReMi activities include:

(i) a Joint Programme of Research covering key policy questions in radiation protection and public health (the shape of the dose response curve for cancer at low doses, individual susceptibilities and risk of non-cancer diseases), providing an overview of European research infrastructure needs and facilitating multilateral initiatives leading to better use and development of research infrastructures;

(ii) a Joint Programme of Integration to develop a coordinated European roadmap for the long term needs of the key players in Europe; and

(iii) a Joint Programme for the Spreading of Excellence, covering knowledge management, an integrated European training programme, and mobility of scientists.

A substantial proportion of DoReMi will be dedicated to the Joint Programme of Research. The programme describes a multidisciplinary approach, integrating epidemiological and biological research and modelling, and including interfaces with the broader biological, toxicological and epidemiological communities.

“I am looking forward to working with the top scientists in this consortium" says Sisko Salomaa, Research Director of STUK, the radiation protection authority of Finland. "There are important questions related to radiation risks that can be addressed only by European and international efforts" she added.

DoReMi will provide an operational tool for the development of a long-term platform for integration and funding of European radiation protection research entitled MELODI (Multidisciplinary European Low Dose Risk Research Initiative) initiated by major national bodies and research programmes that have long term commitment in low dose radiation risk research in Europe.

CREAL participation

CREAL (Barcelona) is part of the Management Board of DoReMi and will play a crucial role in the identification of major European epidemiological infrastructures, in training in radiation, environmental and molecular epidemiology and in the development and conduct of integrated molecular epidemiological studies aimed at answering key questions in radiation protection.

Spanish radiation protection research

Spain has a number of research groups with well-established experience in experimental and/or epidemiological research in the area of Radiation Protection at low doses at CREAL, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the Universitat de Tarragona, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid-Hospital Universitario San Carlos, the Complejo Hospitalario Universitario a Coruña, CIEMAT and the Hospital Gregorio Marañón.

Elisabeth Cardis, Research Professor in Radiation Epidemiology at CREAL and DoReMi principal investigator from Spain stated “DoReMi and MELODI will provide an important opportunity to better coordinate research at the Spanish level and to ensure integration of Spanish activities with that of other centres of excellence at the European levels”.

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  * Participating institutions:
•;STUK - Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (Coordinator), Finland
•;Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, France
•;Helmholz Zentrum München, Germany
•;Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique, France
•;Health Protection Agency, UK
•;University of Pavia, Italy
•;Istituto Superiore di Sanitá, Italy
•;SCK-CEN Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, Belgium
•;Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, Germany
•;University of Stockholm, Sweden
•;CREAL - Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, Spain
•;Institut Curie, France