The Action is organized through five working groups

WG1: Electron and biomolecular interactions (Chair; D Field)
WG2: Ions and biomolecular interactions (Chair; T Schlathölter)
WG3: Radiation in physiological environments (Chair; K McGuigan)
WG4: Theoretical developments for radiation damage (Chair; M Bacchus)
WG5: Track Structure in cells (Chair; H Paretzke)

The working groups both host their own meetings and arrange dedicated session at the Annual RADAM meeting. A list of the participants in each WG are listed on the website http://www.isa.au.dk/networks/cost/

WG Meetings in 2005-7

WG1: Electron and Biomolecular interactions.

WG1 did not hold a separate meeting in 2005 since many of the WG members were also members of a Framework V Network EPIC) and ESF Programme (EIPAM) which held a joint meeting 25th-30th June 2005, San Martino al Cimino, Viterbo, Italy. Here results of collaborative work within the RADAM Action were reported.

The Second WG1 workshop 23rd-26th February, 2006 was held in Altis Park Hotel, Lisbon, Portugal. Organised by Dr P Limao-Vieira some 35 participants attended. The main theme being the study of electron damage to biomolecules and its role in DNA Damage.

In 2007 WG1 Organized a joint meeting with WG3 entitled ‘Symposium on Radiation Effects of Biomedical Interest’ 22nd to 25th February 2007, CSIC Madrid, Spain. The main aim of this meeting was to bring together academic researchers with clinical staff working in radiography departments (hence one day was hosted by La Paz hospital in Madrid). A very successful meeting it has led to the preparation of a proposal for a Training network in radiation sciences for Framework VII programme. 48 people attended.

WG2: Ions and Biomolecular interactions.

In 2005 WG2 held a small workshop (30 participants) immediately after the Annual meeting in Postdam 21 attendees with 7 presentations

WG2 held an International Workshop on Radiation Damage of Water St Malo, France 14th-16th May 2006. This meeting was a result of an extensive research programme to study ion interactions with water by WG2 researchers, some 35 people attended (including french students)

WG3: Radiation in physiological environments

WG3 arranged two meetings in 2005. The first was a small meeting organized by the WG Chair in Dublin April 1-2 (a dozen attendees) on the use of radiation in water sterilization, a topical issue following the devastating tsunami in Asia in early 2005. This work was subsequently presented in Brussels at COST meeting. The second WG3 meeting was held as part of the EYIC European Young Investigator Conference at Gniezno, Poland June 7-12. Chaired by Prof Krzysztof Bobrowski http://www.ichtj.waw.pl/sulfrad/EYIC2005/ comprising 34 lectures and over 50 posters with over 70 attending.

In 2006 WG3 co-hosted aSymposium on Radiation Effects of Biomedical Interest 22nd to 25th February 2007, CSIC Madrid, Spain. (See above)

WG4: Theoretical developments for radiation damage

The WG held a round Table meeting WG4, Gröningen, June 6th 2006 after the Annual meeting and later this year will host a workshop on Theoretical Developments for Radiation Damage, Fréjus, France 21st -22nd September 2007, Fréjus, France

WG5: Track Structure in cells

The working group was responsible for co-arranging the COST Supported: 14th International Symposium on Microdosimetry (MICROS 2005) November 13-18, 2005, Venezia-Italy. An Interdisciplinary Meeting on Ionising Radiation Quality, Molecular Mechanisms, Cellular Effects, and Their Consequences for Low Level Risk Assessment and Radiation Therapy. Attended by over 200 delegates in excess of 70 presentations were made and more than 140 posters. Here the modeling issues of radiation track damage were fully discussed as were many issues related to he RADAM programme with emphasis upon the application of such work to radiotherapy.

The WG met in Bad Honnef, Germany 16-19 October; the meeting was entitled ‘Challenges for Modelling of Radiation Damage in Cells’ was held in the Physik-Zentrum Bad Honnef, Germany. The workshop was aimed at a presentation and discussion of various research areas where experimental results challenge present biophysical modelling approaches and was held with work package 5 of RISC RAD and a new steering group within RISC-RAD a Major EU funded programme in Radiation Damage (Under Integrated Project Themes of Framework VI) Website.

RADAM Annual Meetings:

The first Management Committee agreed that each Year there should be an Annual meeting of the Action hereafter known as the RADAM meeting and that the Management Committee would meet at each Annual meeting.

The first Annual meeting was held in Lyons 24th to 27th June, 2004 (Website) with the Vice Chair Prof M Farizon acting as local Chair. A full report of the meeting may be found on the Action website. The meeting attracted more than 100 participants. Each WG was asked to put together a programme of 34 talks and there was a large poster session.

The meeting was judged a great success and successfully launched the Action and began the formation of a RADAM community. However it was apparent that the community required being so wide was a ‘common community separated by language’. Therefore it was decided that it was necessary to arrange a more tutorial led meeting at the Second RADAM meeting in 2005

The Second Annual meeting (RADAM05) was held in Potsdam March 17 to 20, 2005 (Website) attracting 72 participants.In accordance with the discussion at the First RADAM meeting this was arranged more as a workshop to provide tutorial style talks for the community. Each WG was requested to provide two speakers who could both provide an overview of their field and provide a tutorial on the terminology and basic background knowledge of their particular discipline. This was very successful and has led to he creation of a ‘RADAM community’ and several excellent examples of cross disciplinary co-operation. The meeting also contained several reports of RADAM members on projects begun as a result of STSMs, a total of 28 talks were presented and 35 poster presentations by students on their ongoing work.

The Third Annual meeting (RADAM06) was held 6th-9th June 2006, Groningen, The Netherlands with participants and 36 oral presentations and 31 poster presentations many of which reported results of research undertaken as part of the STSM programme. The conference demonstrated the Action’s success in developing cross disciplinary research and the rapid developments of the research field.

In addition in Spetmber 2006 many of the Cost MC (and others) met in a co-sponsored meeting with ESF Programme (EIPAM) in Malta 16th-20th September 2006, Valletta, Malta Attracting 112 participants with 49 talks and 37 posters.

The Fourth Annual RADAM meeting (RADAM07) will be held in Dublin 19 to 22 June with the first day dedicated to tutorial workshops for postgraduates and younger researchers. Website

The success of this Conference series in bringing together researchers from such otherwise seldom connected communities such that it is agreed to continue this as an annual series. RADAM08 is scheduled for Debrecen in Hungary

In addition the Action arranged

The 24th Miller Conference on Radiation Chemistry 10-15 September 2005, La Londe les Maures, France (Website). Attended by over 120 participants 22 lectures were presented with a further 13 presentations from Younger researchers and over 60 posters. Several international participants attended and requested to be affiliated to the COST Action including leading US and Canadian Laboratories. These names were presented to the Physics panel for approval and attended 2006 and 2007 meetings..

In 2006 Members of the Action were successful in a bid to the ESF for a Research conference entitled ‘Biomolecules from Gas Phase Properties to the Actions Relevant to Living Cells’ held 24th-29th June, Obergurgl, Austria. A budget of 50,000 Euros was granted for the meeting and 45 presentations made with over 50 poster – many by members of the COST programme.

The WG1 group also co-organised a workshop entitled: Biology and Medicine with Low Energy Synchrotron Radiation 1st-3rd November 2006, Aarhus, Denmark for 57 participants.

Finally in December (3-7) 2007 members of WG1,4,5 will combine to host a CECAM workshop in Lyons entitled ‘Modelling Radiation Damage’ for which a budget of 15000 Euros has be allocated by CECAM.

Details of these meetings can be found on the Action’s webpage together with other meetings of interest to the COST RADAM Community.