No C 55/4 Official Journal of the European Communities 7. 3. 90 
Commission communication concerning a specific research and technical development 
programme for the European Atomic Energy Community in the field of management and 
storage of radioactive waste 
(1990 to 1994) 
Call for proposals 
(90/C 55/04) 
The Council of Ministers adopted on 15 December 
1989, a five year _RTD programme in the field of 
management and storage of radioactive waste. 
The programme is aimed at perfecting and demon­
strating a system for managing radioactive waste, 
including unreprocessed irradiated fuel where this is 
considered as waste, which will ensure, at the various 
stages, the best possible protection of man and the en­
vironment. In particular, research will be continued on 
the characterization and description of the various 
barriers, both engineered and natural (geological), 
considered in the multiple barrier disposal concept, and 
the findings will be used to evaluate the long-term safety 
of this waste disposal concept. 
The total budget is ECU 79 600 000. 
The programme is composed of two parts, A and B. Part 
A deals with waste management studies and associated 
research and development actions, whereas in Part B, the 
construction and operation of underground pilot and/or 
site validation facilities for deep geological disposal of 
radioactive waste open to Community joint activities are 
covered. This call for proposals is limited to research in 
Part A. 
By this call for proposals, the Commission of the 
European Communities wishes to receive proposals for 
participation in the research by means of shared-cost 
contracts concerning the tasks in Part A: 
1. Studies of management systems. 
2. Treatment of radioactive waste. 
3. Characterization and qualification of waste forms, 
packages and their environment. 
4. Disposal of radioactive waste: research to back-up the 
development of underground repositories. 
5. Methods of evaluating the safety of disposal systems. Community contribution to shared-cost projects will not 
normally exceed 50 % of the full cost, the remainder of 
which is to be provided by the partners. In the case of 
universities and establishments of higher education, the 
Community may contribute up to 100 % of the 
additional costs. The plan of execution of the research 
must be within the period 1 September 1990 and 31 
December 1994. 
Proposals may be submitted by any natural or legal 
person (whether existing under public or private law), 
institution, or association of persons, within the territory 
of a Member State. 
Research projects acceptable for funding should pref­
erably be based on cooperation between natural or legal 
persons, institutions or associations belonging to more 
than one European Community Member State. The 
cooperation between partners can also be realized 
according to the form of a European Economic Interest 
Grouping (EEIG) formed following the conditions and 
terms described in Council Regulation (EEC) No 
2137/85 (OJ No L 199, 31. 7. 1985, p. 1.). 
Proposals should he submitted not later than 30 May 1990, 
the postmark being accepted as the date of dispatch. 
All proposals will be treated in strict confidence. 
Further details about the programme and on how to 
apply are given in the information file. This file also 
contains the standard application form plus notes for 
applicants and may be obtained on written request at the 
following address: 
Commission of the European Communities, 
Directorate-General for Science Research and- Devel­
opment, 
Radioactive Waste Management Programme, 
Directorate XII/D-2, 
200 rue de la Loi, 
B-1049 Brussels. 
Telex 21877 COMEU B. 
Telefax 2 236 20 06.