European international cooperation
RIANA
On 1 March 2024, the RIANA: Research Infrastructure Access in Nanoscience & Nanotechnology project was launched to support research in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The project is coordinated by the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, and the NPI is mainly involved in the project by the Tandetron Laboratory, which will provide infrastructure for external users in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology or modification of semiconductor materials at the atomic level. The RIANA consortium comprises 56 scientific institutions offering access to 69 infrastructures in 22 European countries. The project is funded by Horizon Europe.
NPI Project manager: Anna Macková
E-mail: mackova@ujf.cas.cz
Read more about the project here.
NEPHEWS
On 1 January 2024, the NEPHEWS: Neutrons and Photons Elevating Worldwide Science project was launched, with the main objective of providing scientists from all over the world with access to 21 major research infrastructures in Europe. One of these infrastructures is the Neutron Physics Laboratory.
Along with offering instrument time, the lab team will also contribute to the work packages "Community building, user training and partnerships", which aims to support users from more countries (especially Africa and Ukraine), and "Communication, outreach and policy impact".
NEPHEWS will provide the international scientific community with a total of nearly 40,000 hours of measurements. Including in-kind contributions, the cost of creating this machine time will approach €20 million, of which a quarter (€4.7 million) will be funded by the Horizon Europe grant.
NPI Project manager: Pavel Strunz
E-mail: strunz@ujf.cas.cz
More about the project kick-off meeting at the link here.
ReMADE@ARI
The Project ReMade@ARI (REcyclable MAterials DEvelopment at Analytical Research Infrastructures) is funded by the EU Commission’s Horizon Europe programme and co-funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.
The project provides scientists who are working on the design of new recyclable materials with analytical tools that enable them to explore the properties and the structure of their material in smallest details up to atomic resolution (including those of the NPI). ReMade@ARI commits to leverage the development of innovative, sustainable materials for key components in the most diverse sectors, such as electronics, batteries, vehicles, construction, packaging, plastics, textiles and food on an unprecedented level. It will be the central hub in Europe for all sectors and research areas in which new materials for a circular economy will be developed.
NPI Project manager: Anna Macková
E-mail: mackova@ujf.cas.cz
Read more about the project here.
SONORA
The project of the first call of Pianoforte SONORA (Towards Safe, Optimized and persoNalized radiOlogy and RAdiotherapy procedures for pregnant patients) focuses on improving the accuracy of fetal dose estimation in diagnostic and interventional radiology and radiotherapy, emphasizing the harmonization of methods and the development of new tools for the personalization and optimization of treatment procedures for pregnant patients. The goal is to develop physical and computational phantoms, study fetal doses during various diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy techniques, and create a clinical tool for estimating doses in proton radiotherapy. The project will result in a good practice guide to perform fetal dose estimation in pregnant or potentially pregnant patients undergoing radiological or radiotherapy procedures.
The project started in February 2024 and is planned for four years. The consortium includes 17 institutions from 12 countries. UJF is mainly involved in WP4 (Radiotherapy during pregnancy), which aims to study fetal doses during breast cancer radiotherapy. As part of this task, we will participate in measuring doses using various detectors inside phantoms simulating the fetus in various stages of pregnancy.
NPI Project manager: Iva Ambrožová
email: ambrozova@ujf.cas.cz
Read more about the project here.
RADNEX
The acronym RADNEXT stands for the RADiation facility Network for the EXploration of effects for indusTry and research. The project's goal is to establish a network of facilities and related irradiation methodology for responding to the emerging needs of electronics component and system irradiation; as well as combining different irradiation and simulation techniques for optimizing the radiation hardness assurance for systems, focusing on the related risk assessment.
NPI Project manager: Milan Štefánik
Email: stefanik@ujf.cas.cz
Read more about the project here.
SOMPATY
Project SOMPATY: Spectral Optimization: From Mathematics to Physics and Advanced Technology is a part of the European Commission MSC program within HORIZON 2020. The project is oriented to the exploration of the scientific potential of former post-soviet republics Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. European participants are Technical University Ilmenau, University of Luebeck, Nuclear Physics Institute CAS Rez, and also Mathematical Institute of the National Academy of Ukraine (considered as EU associated country).
Contacts for NPI CAS: Pavel Exner or Jaroslav Dittrich
E-mail: exner@ujf.cas.cz or dittrich@ujf.cas.cz
Read more about the project here.
BIOSPHERE
The three-year EURAMET project BIOSPHERE (Metrology for Earth Biosphere: Cosmic rays, ultraviolet radiation, and fragility of the ozone shield), which started in October 2022, aims to develop the necessary tools, methods, and metrological framework for quantifying the relationship between cosmic radiation, ozone depletion, and anthropogenic emissions, and for assessing the impact of combined secondary cosmic radiation and UV radiation on human health.
The project involves a consortium of 22 institutions. UJF is mainly involved in WP1 (Characterisation and adaption of instrumentation for determining the dependence of SCR on PCR and atmospheric parameters) and WP2 (Identifying and quantifying the relationship between cosmic radiation, UV radiation, and anthropogenic emissions). WP1 focuses on the metrological characterization and calibration of a mobile detector for measuring the neutron component of secondary cosmic radiation, while WP2 involves measurements with this neutron detector at four different locations in Europe (Athens, Brussels, Milešovka, Lindenberg).
The project 21GRD02 BIOSPHERE has received funding from the European Partnership on Metrology, co-financed by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme and by the Participating States.
NPI Project manager: Iva Ambrožová
email: ambrozova@ujf.cas.cz
Read more about the project here.
EUROfusion
The pan-European EUROfusion project focuses on research and development in the field of nuclear fusion as a safe and sustainable energy source. The Nuclear Physics Institute contributes to the objectives set out in the EUROfusion Roadmap with its research and experimental infrastructure CANAM, in which the Institute offers open access to accelerator-driven fast neutron generators, a much sought-after tool for validation, optimisation and safety assessment of experimental and industrial nuclear fusion facilities.
With the support of the EUROfusion project, the NPI is conducting research on damage to structural materials by fast neutrons or validation experiments for simulations of fast neutron transport with materials relevant for the construction of the IFMIF-DONES project.
NPI Project manager: Martin Ansorge
E-mail: ansorge@ujf.cas.cz
Read more about the project here.