RADIATION PROTECTION RESEARCH IN THE EUROPEAN-UNION

A brief review is presented of both the formal and scientific developm ent of the European Commission's Radiation Protection Research program me From its inception in 1958 through to the present day. The recent a dditional research programme on the Radiological Consequences of the C hernobyl Accident is also described. The changes in scientific emphasi s and management structures introduced in the current programme are ou tlined and some of their consequences are mentioned. Several examples of scientific achievements are taken from the programme to demonstrate the collaborative nature and added-value of the programme. Finally, a glimpse into the future with some thoughts on the further development of the programme are given.