Report from final project conference – RICOMET 2016: The Second International Conference on Risk Perception, Communication and Ethics of Exposures to Ionizing Radiation

The RICOMET 2016 Conference 'Risk perception, communication and ethics of exposures to ionizing radiation' was the last public event of the EAGLE project taking place from 1 – 3 of June 2016 in Bucharest, Romania. It was the opportunity in which almost 100 participants have been contributing through presentations, discussions, exchange of opinions and suggestions. The final results of the EAGLE project will be developed by taking into account the recommendations not only from the EAGLE stakeholder network but also from other projects like OPERRA, PLATENSO and CONCERT and involved participants including HORIZON 2020 projects participating at the conference, for instance the project HONEST. The RICOMET 2016 conference also gave the possibility for the presentations of the ionizing radiation research and investigations in different European countries and provided the occasion for discussions and exchange of views among the participants. The EAGLE, PLATENSO, OPERRA and CONCERT projects have confirmed the importance of stakeholder involvement in the governance of ionizing radiation risks. In order that strategic research agendas most effectively address research needs and expectations at all levels and for all actors, the RICOMET Conference highlighted that better mechanisms to understand and include stakeholder concerns at the national level need to be developed. More opportunities for dialogue among natural scientists, researchers in social sciences and humanities, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders, such as provided by the RICOMET conference, should be created. In order to better focus ionizing radiation research, the Conference recommended that interactions with, and experience exchange among platforms and projects, are essential. To enhance and promote SSH research in the radiation protection field, and to maintain and share the specific knowledge and expertise developed so far, a need was expressed for the establishment of: SSH research within the Strategic Research Agendas of technical radiological protection platform; and SSH networking activities. These should be self‐sustainable after the completion of the projects participating at the RICOMET conference. Therefore, the EAGLE and RICOMET coordination activity related to ionizing radiation would will serve as a basis for proposal of establishment of new European Platform for the integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) in research related to Ionizing Radiation (IR). The proposal development is coordinated by the committee from the founding members and will be further discussed within Oxford Radiation Protection Week. As a result of the RICOMET 2016 conference also the special conference declaration is under development with common position of participation projects and which will be sent to all relevant stakeholders across the Europe. It will emphases that more opportunities for dialogue among natural scientists, researchers in social sciences and humanities, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders should be created, also within the European research programmes in the frame of EURATOM and the need for SSH network activity in the field of ionizing radiation.