Environmental Radioactivity Research Network

英国有大量的核遗产（大量核污染土地，废物和老化的核设施）。在未来几十年，这些废物将通过地质处置进行管理，遗留的核设施将退役，纳税人将为此付出巨大代价。此外，最近的福岛事件突出了一系列有关核事件对环境影响的问题。与促进和告知这些问题相关的环境放射性研究任务很多，而且不是微不足道的。特别是，成功的地质处置、退役和核事故应对将需要制作和解释关于放射性核素在各种浓度的异质环境材料中行为的基本原子和纳米尺度信息。此外，还需要计算机建模来连接复杂的空间和时间尺度。要获得这些信息和专门知识，需要英国环境放射性社区、STFC分析/计算基础设施和专业知识以及相关政府和行业机构之间进行前所未有的互动。考虑到这一点，我们寻求通过开发一个前瞻性思维的合作网络（Env-Rad-Net）来满足这一需求，该网络旨在协调，通知和促进一系列STFC中央设施的基础环境放射性研究。事实上，在三年内，环境辐射网络将致力于汇集研究界、科技和金融中心以及相关合作伙伴（例如，政府机构（NNL、NNL和RWMD）、核工业等）发展英国在这一领域研究的能力、活动和影响。特别是，我们预计该网络将专注于与钻石光源，ISIS，中央激光设施和高性能计算设施建立战略合作，因为我们预计这些中心的方法开发将使社区能够解决有关样品异质性，放射性核素浓度和规模的重要问题。为了实现这一目标，将通过几项活动实现总体网络目标：全面和更专业的社区会议，国际实况调查和研究旅行，培训和指导计划，以及研究联盟建设活动。这些活动将在一系列特别设计的工作包中进行，这些工作包通过若干横向专题联系在一起。此外，主要科学家（学者和科技和金融中心科学家）将管理每个工作方案和有条件现金转移，并将利用一个专家指导小组来通报网络的总体职权范围、方向和实施情况。我们相信，这些活动将为英国环境放射性社区、STFC乃至更广泛的社会提供一系列切实的好处。例如，Env-Rad-Net将：增加使用STFC设施的研究小组的数量;培训下一代环境放射性研究人员使用一系列最先进的分析和计算技术;在STFC设施提供技术发展遗产，使未来的研究成为可能;吸引更广泛的核社区（NDA，NDA-RWMD等）确保使用STFC设施的研究充分参与核地质处置，退役和核事故响应的大型计划，提高这些重大计划的成功，同时也增强了公众的信心。总之，Env-Rad-Net将在环境放射性的广泛领域引发研究能力和产出的一步变化，这种能力的提高将产生重大的国家级经济影响。

The UK has a substantial nuclear legacy (large quantities of nuclear contaminated land, waste, and aging nuclear facilities). In the coming decades, these wastes will be managed via geodisposal and legacy nuclear sites will be decommissioned at great cost to the taxpayer. Further, the recent Fukushima incident has highlighted a range of issues concerning nuclear incident impact in the environment. The Environmental Radioactivity Research tasks associated with facilitating and informing these issues are many and non-trivial. In particular, successful geodisposal, decommissioning, and nuclear incident response will require the production and interpretation of fundamental atomic and nano-scale information concerning radionuclide behaviour in heterogeneous environmental materials, across a range of concentrations. Further, computer modelling is needed to bridge complex spatial and temporal scales. Gaining this information and knowhow requires unprecedented interaction between the UK Environmental Radioactivity Community, STFC analytical/computing infrastructure and expertise, and the relevant governmental and industry bodies. Reflecting this, we seek to engage this need by developing a forward thinking collaborative network (Env-Rad-Net) that seeks to coordinate, inform, and promote fundamental Environmental Radioactivity Research at a range of STFC central facilities. Indeed, over three years the Env-Rad-Net will aim to bring together the relevant members of the Research Community, the STFC, and associated partners (e.g., government agencies (NNL, NNL and RWMD), nuclear industry etc.) to develop the capability, activity, and impact of UK research in this field. In particular, we anticipate the network will focus on building strategic collaborations with the Diamond Light Source, ISIS, Central Lasers Facility, and High Performance Computing facilities, as we foresee that development of methods at these centers will allow the community to address vital issues concerning sample heterogeneity, radionuclide concentration, and scale. To achieve this, the overarching network objective will be met through several activities: holistic and more specialised community meetings, international fact-finding and research trips, training and mentoring programmes, and research consortium building exercises. These activities will take place across a range of specially designed Work Packages (WP) linked through several Cross Cutting Themes (CCT). Further, key scientists (academics and STFC scientists) will manage each WP and CCT, and an expert steering panel will be used to inform the networks overall remit, direction, and implementation. We believe that these activities will provide a range of tangible benefits to the UK Environmental Radioactivity Community, the STFC, and indeed wider society. For example, the Env-Rad-Net will: increase the number of research groups using STFC facilities; train the next generation of Environmental Radioactivity Researchers in the use of a range of state-of-the-art analysis and computational techniques; provide a legacy of technical developments at the STFC facilities that will enable future research; engage the wider nuclear community (NDA, NDA-RWMD etc.) to ensure research using STFC facilities is fully engaged with the large programmes of nuclear geodisposal, decommissioning, and nuclear incident response, improving the success of these major programmes whilst also bolstering public confidence. In summation, Env-Rad-Net will instigate a step change in research capability and output in the broad field of Environmental Radioactivity and this increase in ability will deliver significant national-level economic impact.