Annual report : 2009

2009·8.1 MB·English

by  European Commission. Joint Research Centre

ISSN 0376-5482
eS JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE
SeSe
\\ European Comm ission
4S
\
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Report EUR 24228 EN
JRC Structure
“ f y !
.o Institute for Energy
OS 7 my -, BE r . , ips
ln “
Chae pla” 7 GEEL Pd
BRUSSELS ie ineSte custyo fCt ihtei zen
: rat KARLSRUHE cay lecee £F ea
\. @s Lene
a
niet vi eeISPeRA = Ste tT4 —a ‘ ®
SEVILLE - } 4a & ¥ pas pert NEO
~ ¥ e — =
e -
ee ed olad
Sustainability
Joint Research Centre
Contact details Mission
Internal and External Communication Unit The mission of the Joint Research Centre is to provide
Tel: [phone] customer-driven scientific and technical support for
Fax: [phone] the conception, development, implementation and
E-mail: [email protected] monitoring of European Union policies. As a service of
Website: www.jrc.ec.europa.eu the European Commission, the Joint Research Centre
functions as a reference centre of science and technol-
ogy for the Union. Close to the policy-making process,
it serves the common interest of the Member States,
while being independent of special interests, whether
private or national.
WMI
22502892947
athe Oe ee ae ee pe a
yack Moree heer Aloe Sond 63 Pag ee
Annual Report 2009
Joint Research Centre
European Commission
UAC
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
European Commission
Joint Research Centre
be
LNisee igrtaehlse pron nosttiihbcleeeE tr t for which “mighht eoer abney mapdereso nP oefn t hisi nege, po ubnl ication{.f of the Commi/sL seio n
A great deal o itional information on the European Union is available on the
It can be accessed through the Europa server (http: //europa.eu).
EUR 24228 EN
ISBN 978-92-79-14655-8
ISSN 0376-5482
doi 10.2788/54084
JRC 56646
Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union
© European Union, 2010
Reproduction is authorised provided the source
TABLE OF CONTENTS
III MMM
04 Foreword from the Commissioner for Science and Research
05 | Message from the Director-General
06 Observations from the Board of Governors
TMM MUU MMM MMMM
Supporting EU policies
10 Response to crises in 2009
12 Policy anticipation
14 Policy formulation
16 Policy adoption
17. Policy implementation
23. Policy evaluation
IMI
Highlights from the JRC institutes
26 JRC Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (JRC-IRMM)
28 JRC Institute for Transuranium Elements (JRC-ITU)
30 JRC Institute for Energy (JRC-IE)
32 JRC Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen (JRC-IPSC)
34 JRC Institute for Environment and Sustainability (JRC-IES)
36 JRC Institute for Health and Consumer Protection (JRC-IHCP)
38 JRC Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (JRC-IPTS)
TUITE
Selected horie zontal actiev iet ie es
42 Examples oft raining and entrepreneurship
43 Supporting EU enlargement and integration
44 JRC Open Day
45 High-level Trans-Atlantic Science for Policy Workshop
46 Stakeholder events
47. Press and media relations
48 Nuclear decommissioning and infrastructure development
Kolm 40) (0)¢ - 100) A Cs-127- 1000
50 JRC Excellence Awards
56 54 JRC Reference Reports
MIMI
Figures on staff, budget and publications
MMII I I
58
Appendices
58 The JRC Board of Governors
60 The JRC Directors
JRC Annual Report 2009 Introduction
Foreword from the Commissioner
for Science and Research
European and international collaboration.
The European Research Area is the key to
Europe’s response to these challenges and
international collaboration will be the solu-
tion for all. Collaboration will drive innova-
tion and new ideas which in turn will help
create new jobs andt acklteh e challenges of
ensuring a sustainable living environment
as mentioned above.
The JRC will also have to prioritise and in
last year’s annual report, | mentioned that it
was about to develop a Corporate Strategy,
focusing on core work areas and outlining,
in consultation with stakeholders and cus-
tomers inside and outside the Commission,
how best to implement a new global vision
Janez Potoénik, Commissioner forJtRCh. eThe y will deliver on this promise
for Science and Research. In my five years as EU Commissioner for in 2010, taking into account the European
Science and Research, | have noted that the policy objectives outlined in the Europe
independent scientific and technical (S&T) 2020 strategy.
support which the JRC provides is becoming
increasingly influential in the policy-mak- In this report there are many examples of
ing process as reflected through the ever- S&T support provided by the JRC in 2009
growing demands from our customeirn sth e and | invite you to read through and get to
Commission, EU institutions and the Mem- know the JRC for yourself.
ber States. The JRC has evolved into an or-
ganisation that can easily adapt to changing From my side, my role as European Commis-
needs yet quickly react to urgent requests sioner for Science and Research has now
Commissioner Potoénik at confer- — it is an organisation that takes action, it come to an end. | will miss the close contact
ence entitled ‘Sustainable Devel- delivers on what it promises and it is well with the JRC and the diversity of research it
opment — a Challenge for Euro- embedded in the EU policy-making process. conducts, but | do look forward to continued
pean Research’, 26 May 2009.
collaboration in my newrole as Environment
However, when looking at scientific re- Commissioner. | now entrust the JRC to my
search from both European and global successor, Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, who
perspectives, the news is not all positive. I’m sure will continue to support and lead
The challenges that lie ahead for Euro- the JRC in its quest to provide timely and
pean research are immense. Now that our high-quality S&T support to EU policies.
global economy is going through a crisis,
both public and private resources are more JANEZ POTOCNIK
scarce and so have to be used in the most MEMBER OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
efficient and effective manners. Businesses
have meanwhile become more keenly aware
Commissioner Potocnik visiting of the importance to prioritise research and
the nuclear safety stand during innovation in these difficult times. But even
the JRC Open Day 2009. before the crisis, we have had the even big-
ger challenges of climate change, energy
and food supplies, pandemics and an age-
ing population. When examining these to-
gether, the word ‘sustainability’ becomes
crystal clear and echoes an urgent need for
Introduction JRC Annual Report 2009
Miessage from the Director-General
In 2009, the JRC took on the challenge of
reinvigorating its organisation by the crea-
tion of a new vision and strategy for 2010-
2020. This was necessaryt o address key so-
cietal challenges (‘grand challenges’) facing
the EU and the world where the approach
requires integrated, pro-active and cross-
policy action. As part ofth is, the JRC devel- |
oped a new vision that will serve to guide
the organisation over the coming years.
The JRC’s vision is to be a trusted
provider of science-based policy
options to EU policy makers to
address key challenges facing Roland Schenkel,
any taboos, and coming up with recommen- Director-General, JRC.
our society, underpinned by inter-
dations onthe do’s and don’ts when provid-
nationally-recognised research. ing science-based advice to policy makers.
It was a truly remarkable experience which
benefited all present.
The strategy process was initiated througha
combined bottom-up and top-down consul- | wish to thank the Board of Governors, our
tation process, involving 12 expert working customers and partners and all JRC staff for
groups, which represented 12 core compe- their hard work, enthusiasm and dedication.
tence areas of the JRC. The proposed strat- | extend a special thanks to Alejandro Her-
egy represents significant challenges for rero (Director JRC-IRMM) who retired in Oc-
the JRC; it identifies new goals and object- tober after many years of service and | wish
ives and sets a scheme for better addressing Megan Richards (Director Resource Man-
policy options at EU and global levels. An agement), who left the JRC, luck in her new
implementation plan will be defined by mid- position with the Directorate-General for
2010 after final approval of the strategy and Information Society and Media (DG INFSO).
will begin to be applied during the 2010-12
transition period in an incremental fashion. Finally, | extend a big thanks to Commis- Roland Schenkel at the 33” Interna-
This will place the JRC in a position to ini- sioner Janez Potoénik for his support, guid- tional Symposium on Remote Sens-
tiate its preparation for the 8"" Framework ance and leadership since 2004. We look ing of Environment, 5 May 2009.
Programme under a new profile. forward to continued collaboration with
him in his new role as Environment Com-
Also in 2009, a series of events with the missioner.
American Association for the Advancement
of Science (AAAS) were organised and con- | warmly welcome our new Commissioner
cluded with the signing of aMemorandum of for Research, Innovation and Science, Maire
Understanding between the JRC and AAAS. Geoghegan-Quinn. We see this as amoment
This three-year agreement will see the JRC for new opportunities and we look forward
and the AAAS collaborating more intensely to working closely with her in the future. The Director-General at the JRC
through organising joint workshops, collabo- Open Day 2009.
rating on the publication of reports and shar- ROLAND SCHENKEL
ing information on key issues. The High-level
Trans-Atlantic Science for Policy Workshop,
which made up part of the AAAS events, was
a unique setup drawing together twenty-
two experienced leaders from the scientific
community, policy makers, industry, and
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
from both sides of the Atlantic, for a day,
engaging in a lively, open debate without
JRC Annual Report 2009 Introduction
Observations from the
Board of Governors
The JRC Board of Governors:
reference for setting the JRC’s future work
an important and active year
programme priorities, thus also marking
The JRC Board of Governors discussed and an important step towards defining the JRC
commented on the key decisions made in part in the EU’s next Framework Programme
the JRC during the year, particularly those for Research and Development.
aimed at profiling and positioning the JRC
and its institutes to respond ever more effi- In early 2009, the Board endorsed the JRC’s
ciently and effectively to the evolving needs 2009 Annual Management Plan, having al-
of the EU’s policy-making customers. The ready contributed to the formulation of its
Board met in March, June and November in general objectives through the inputs of an
order to discuss a range of priority topics, assigned ad-hoc working group of the Board —
includintghe actions in response to the sys- at the end of 2008.
tem of JRC reviews.
The Board emphasised the need to strive
Killian Halpin, First and foremost, the Board wishes to towards a greater international role, recog-
Chairman oft he Board. compliment the JRC on the progress made nition and visibility of the JRC. Its members
in the development of its new Corporate believe that both globalisation and the need
Strategy 2010-20 which followed on from for scientific communities worldwide to
the 2008 Sir David King Review of the JRC. come together and seriously address press-
The process employed both top-down and ing issues like competitiveness, energy and
bottom-up approaches. Staff at all levels climate change will naturally pull the JRCin
were involved, with the inclusion of expert this direction. In the process, the JRC should
groups in the key competence areas as well increase its networking with ‘the best’ (both
as all of the important stakeholders. The in Europe and globally) in its areas of com-
fundamental basis of the process was trans- petence and properly balance and reconcile
parency and openness. The Board itself was its proactivity and customer orientation.
involved from the very beginning, acting as
a sounding board by providing advice and From several independent sources the
countries’ reflections. A dedicated ad-hoc Board recognised positive feedback on
working group was set up by the Board significant scientific and technical contribu-
which put forward recommendations to the tions made byJ RC staff across a wide spec-
Board and JRC management throughout the trum of EU policies. The Board commends
strategy formulation process. the new structure oft he ‘Support to EU Poli-
cies’ section (pages 8-23) of this Annual Re-
The implementation of the new Corporate port, where examples ofJ RC support to all
Strategy will help position the JRC for the policy stages are described. For example, it
next decade by providing an appropriate can clearly be seen how JRC research in the
areas of genetically modified crops, greener
transport, and security of the gas supply has
supported policy anticipation. In terms of
The Board believes that the implementation of the
new Corporate Strategy is an important step towards
defining the JRC part in the EU’s next Framework
Programme for Research and Development.
Introduction JRC Annual Report 2009
89"" Meeting of the Board of Governors in Malta on 19 November 2009.
policy formulation and adoption, examples This flexibility is indispensable for the JRC
include JRC research work on biofuels, since it needs to attract young talented sci-
land use and nuclear non-proliferation, to entists ina highly competitive environment.
name but a few. Examples of JRC support The passing of every year brings with it sen-
work to policy implementation cover, inter ior personnel change. The Board wishes to
alia, the mapping of current research ef- record its appreciation for the many years
forts into low-carbon technologies across of service and dedication given by Alejan-
the EU and research on alternative testing dro Herrero Molina, Director of JRC-IRMM,
methods for detecting skin and eye irritants. who retired in October 2009. Likewise, we
Support work at policy evaluation stage is wish to acknowledge the work of Megan Ri-
well illustrated by the results of the Soil chards, Director of Resource Management,
Conservation project and JRC assistance to who moved from the JRC to the Directorate-
UN FAO in global forest monitoring. Also in General for Information Society and Media
this section, the timely and much appreci- (DG INFSO).
ated policy-support work the JRC did in 2009
on responding to crises, can be found. Finally, the Board wishes to express its ap-
preciation for the work of Commissioner
The Board wishes to reiterate the need to Janez Pototnik during his entire mandate.
keep up a modernisation programme oft he His leadership and vision played a pivotal
buildings and support infrastructures in role in the process of change undertaken
all the JRC sites. Acknowledging the great by the JRC over the past five years, embed-
strides that have been made in this direc- ding the JRC’s work in the construction of
tion despite considerable organisational the European Research Area (ERA).
and budgetary challenges, the Board will
continue its support and monitoring of the The Board looks forward with both con-
key decisions that will enable the JRC to re- fidence and enthusiasm to the further
tain its status of a modern research centre advancement of the JRC under the newly
with state-of-the-art facilities. appointed Commissioner for Research, In-
novation and Science, Maire Geoghegan-
The Board also re-emphasises that it is es- Quinn.
sential for the JRC to have fast and flexible
access to scientific and technical expertise KILLIAN HALPIN,
to be able to deliver its mission and there- CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
fore it must retain high flexibility in the
recruitment processes for temporary staff. \