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.

PilotSTRATEGY focuses on advancing understanding of deep saline aquifer (DSA) resources for geological CO2 storage in five European industrial regions in Southern and Eastern Europe. DSAs have much promise and potential for CO2 storage, but despite their high potential storage capacity, they are not well studied. There is a need to increase confidence and maturity of understanding of these sites. PilotSTRATEGY will investigate DSA in detail in three regions of Southern Europe: Paris Basin (France), Lusitanian Basin (Portugal) and Ebro Basin (Spain). This will include acquisition of new data, detailed geo-characterisation, feasibility studies and preliminary design or pre-front end engineering and design studies. At the end of the project, the level of site characterisation in these three regions will be sufficient to allow a final investment decision to be made and for storage permitting and project approval to be obtained. In two further regions of Eastern Europe, West Macedonia (Greece) and Upper Silesia (Poland), PilotSTRATEGY will increase the maturity and confidence level of understanding of DSA storage resources, based on new available data, reprocessing of old data and new dynamic simulation studies. This will enable these regions to start planning to develop their storage resources. Recognising the social challenge of implementing geological CO2 storage, PilotSTRATEGY will take a systemic approach and analyse the factors that influence societal acceptance of storage sites, to develop methods for societal engagement. Regional stakeholders and the local public will be involved in developing recommendations and concepts as part of the pilot conceptualization and design. At the same time, PilotSTRATEGY will run a series of dialogues, “Talk with Authorities,” to support capacity building in local authorities and build policy makers’ awareness of geological CO2 storage, particularly the role of CCUS in just, net-zero transitions in all regions.

ECCSEL aims at gaining recognition as a world-class research infrastructure based within leading European Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) institutions and knowledge centres. It will be due for registration in 2015, forming a legal entity allocating efforts and resources to selected scientific and technological aspects of the CCS chain. ECCSEL will enable high-ranking researchers and scientists from all regions of Europe (and from third countries) to access state-of-the-art research facilities to conduct advanced technological research actions relevant to CCS. The proposed project aims to : • implement ECCSEL as a not-for-profit organisation consistent with the European Research Infrastructure Consortium legal framework ; • initiate operations of ECCSEL as a world-class CCS research infrastructure in accordance with the principles developed during the preparatory phase; • develop the research infrastructure to an upgraded common standard in terms of quality of services, management and access provision;

RadoNorm is designed to initiate and perform research and technical development in support of European Union Member States, Associated Countries and the European Commission in their efforts to implement the European radiation protection Basic Safety Standards. The proposed multidisciplinary and inclusive research project will target all relevant steps of the radiation risk management cycle for radon and NORM exposure situations. RadoNorm aims to reduce scientific, technical and societal uncertainties by (i) initiating and performing research and technical developments, (ii) integrating education and training in all research and development activities, (iii) and disseminating the project achievements through targeted actions to the public, stakeholders and regulators. This will strengthen the scientific and technical basis for all key steps of the radiation risk management cycle for radon and NORM. The inclusive character of RadoNorm is given at different levels, by (i) targeting research and development on all steps of the management cycle, (ii) combining biomedical, and ecological research with mitigation development and social science research, (iii) integration of researchers from national radiation protection institutions, research centres, universities, and SME, (iv) incorporation of E&T activities in all undertakings, and (v) linking dissemination efforts directly to knowledge achievements and new recommendations. Steps addressed are the (a)characterization of radon and NORM exposures, (b)improving dosimetry, (c)assessing effects and risks for humans and the environment, (d)refining mitigation technologies, (e)raising the understanding for societal aspects, and (f)disseminating achievements. Further, an ambitious pan European E&T programme, will contribute to competence building and sustainability of the project findings. The project includes 56 partners from 22 EU member states and associated countries and collaboration with groups in the US and Canada.