The purpose of the European Alliance for Medical Radiation Protection Research (EURAMED) is achieved by promoting research and teaching and by publishing scientific and professional information, especially a strategic research agenda in the field of medical radiation protection research, thereby increasing the science base in medical radiation protection. EURAMED pursues its purpose by co-operating with relevant national, European and international scientific organisations active in this field of interest and in particular with national and international bodies that promote the interests related to medical radiation protection and medical radiation protection research as well as with patient organisations and the public at large.
History
EURAMED represents a consortium of associations involved in the application of ionising radiation in medicine, namely the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM), the European Federation of Organizations for Medical Physics (EFOMP), the European Federation of Radiographer Societies (EFRS), the European Society of Radiology (ESR) and the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO), with the goal of jointly improving medical care and medical radiation protection issues through sustainable research efforts. Since 1 October 2017 EURAMED is a non-profit organisation registered in Austria.
For the first time the five medical societies joined forces in collaboration to improve the application of ionising radiation in medical care by developing and exploring common research strategies and actively promoting the translation of results into clinical practice. The first edition of a strategic research agenda (SRA) for medical radiation protection was approved by the boards of the five societies in November 2015 and published in July 2016.
Context
EURAMED complements established European platforms in several other fields of radiation protection and will thus create visibility for the medical field in this context. These platforms are namely the other members of the Consortium of European Radiation Protection Research Platforms, or MEENAS:
- Multidisciplinary European Low Dose Initiative (MELODI)
- European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS)
- European Platform for Nuclear and Radiological Emergency Response and Recovery (NERIS)
- European Radioecology Alliance (ALLIANCE)
- Social Sciences and Humanities in Ionising Radiation Research (SHARE)
Vision
- To lead the European research activities in medical RP and assume an umbrella function for the harmonisation of practice to advance European RP safety culture in medicine
Mission
- To jointly improve medical care through sustainable research efforts in medical radiation protection
- To identify common research areas defined in a common strategic research agenda
- To serve as a platform for medical radiation protection research, linking researchers and clinicians and adopting a harmonised approach to lobbying at European level to affect the European research funding landscape
- To develop an aligned approach and response to European research calls