Radiation Protection Qualification Network - Promoting the maintenance and development of competence in radiation protection in Germany

In recent years, various institutions have come to the conclusion that expertise in radiation research and radiation protection in Germany needs to be strengthened. An analysis by the then Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) called for, among other things, the creation of a nationwide institution for further education and training (BMU 2021). The Commission on Radiological Protection (SSK) stated that efforts must be made to maintain existing expertise in some research areas and saw signs of worrying deficits in others (SSK 2021). Recently, the SSK emphasised that knowledge transfer should reach a wide variety of target groups and that corresponding events should be offered via a central institution in a target group-oriented manner and supplemented by missing offers (SSK 2023).

Consequently, on request of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), the office of the Radiation Protection Qualification Network was set up by the BfS Staff Unit "Future of Radiation Protection" in July 2023. The aim of the Qualification Network is to strengthen radiation protection expertise in Germany. To this end, the need for expertise in radiation protection is to be determined, existing qualification programmes highlighted, possible deficits identified and solutions for improvement developed. In 2024, the office approached stakeholders who might benefit from the work of the Qualification Network. Young academics and early career researchers can especially benefit from the activities of the network, as they can not only network with potential employers and like-minded people, but can also get an overview on existing qualification programmes and make use of them. The overarching idea of the network is to share knowledge through the active participation of those involved, to pool the need for training and to work towards closing any gaps that may exist.

After an Open Call to encourage participation, a digital kick-off-event was organized. During this event, participants were asked to prioritize the topics they had previously suggested. On this basis, project teams formed in March 2025. Currently, the network includes about 60 participating institutions or associations, e.g. ministries and authorities, research institutions, medical facilities, companies, providers of training and further education formats, and more.

This contribution presents the Qualification Network, describes initial activities and plans for 2025 and beyond.

 

Literature

BMU (2021) URL: https://www.bmuv.de/WS7168

SSK (2021) URL: https://www.ssk.de/SharedDocs/Beratungsergebnisse/DE/2021/2021-06-09_Stgn_Kompetenzerhalt.html

SSK (2023) URL: https://www.ssk.de/SharedDocs/Beratungsergebnisse/DE/2023/2023-09-12_Empf_Kompetenzerhalt_Massnahmen.html