COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
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Brussels, 03.04.1997 
COM(97) 137 final 
JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE 
1996 ANNUAL REPORT 
(Presented by the Commission) 

FOREWORD 
Every year the Commission presents an Annual Report for the Joint Research Centre (JRC), 
describing the entire spectrum of JRC activities during the year and giving information on the 
human and financial resources which have been available for the execution of the work. 
The Annual Report, accompanied by the Observations of the Board of Governors, of the JRC, is 
transmitted by the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the Economic and 
Social Committee. 
The present report covers activities in 1996 and is issued in fulfilment of the reporting 
requirements set out in the Council decisions on the JRC specific programmes (1995-1998) for 
the EC (European Community)1 and the EAEC (European Atomic Energy Communities)2, 
respectively and the supplementary High Flux Reactor programme 1996-1999 for the EAEC3. 
At the same time the 1996 Annual Report constitutes a contribution to the reporting on 
Community RTD (Research and Technological Development) activities which is required by 
Article 130P of the EC Treaty. 
JO. I 361/114 3I.12.I994 
J.O. 1.361/132 31.12.1994 
JO. 1 172/23 11.7.1996 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
o> 
JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE 
1996 ANNUAL REPORT 
Report of the Commission 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
THE JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE 
The Joint Research Centre exists to serve the European Union. Its mission is to provide the European 
Union with a scientific and technical capability, directly attached to the Commission, contributing to the 
formulation and implementation of Union policies. The JRC is the "corporate research laboratory of 
the European Commission. It is established by the European Commission with headquarters in 
Brussels. Five separate sites, located in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, house 
seven different institutes, each with its own focus of expertise. 
These institutes are: 
IRMM The Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements GEEL (B) 
ITU The Institute for Transuranium Elements KARLSRUHE (D) 
1AM The Institute for Advanced Materials PETTEN (NL) and ISPRA (I) 
ISIS The Institute for Systems, Informatics and Safety ISPRA (I) 
El The Environment Institute ISPRA (I) 
SAI The Space Applications Institute ISPRA (I) 
IPTS The Institute for Prospective Technological Studies SEVILLE (E) 
and through them the JRC promotes and carries out customer-driven research of the highest quality 
and integrity in support of Community policies. 
The Joint Research Centre is an integral part of the Community research and technological 
development system and, increasingly, a driving force in European R&D in favour of both industry and 
consumers. It has developed over the years special skills, unique tools, and a reliable, neutral 
scientific expertise adapted to its triple mission: carrying out the specific Community research 
programmes, decided upon by the Council and funded by the European Union budget; providing 
customer-driven research as scientific and technical support for other community policies, such as the 
environment, agriculture or nuclear safety; and engaging itself ever more successfully in competitive 
activities, i.e. participating on a par with industry, research organisations and universities of the 
Member States or associated countries in Community programmes, including shared-cost actions 
under the Framework Programmes, or providing paid services to private and public customers. 
The statutory staff, comprising officials and temporary agents of the JRC, was 1,746 at the end of 
1996. To this number one must add 186 scientists who were active in the Centre and were paid by the 
JRC under various hosting schemes. A further 200 scientists and trainees worked at the JRC under 
other arrangements. 
The global credits committed by the JRC in 1996 were around 273 Mioecu. 
This Annual Report is intended to give a general overview of JRC activities in 1996. 
Readers may find more details in the Annual Reports of the seven institutes. The JRC also publishes 
numerous scientific reports, presents papers to conferences and in scientific journals, and organises 
workshops, seminars and conferences to disseminate its scientific output. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
OBSERVATIONS OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS 6 
HIGHLIGHTS OF 1996 8 
1. THE JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE IN 1996 11 
1.1 CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT, 
EUROPEAN INDUSTRY AND THE WELL-BEING OF THE EUROPEAN 
POPULATION 11 
1.2 COMPETITIVE ACTIVITIES 18 
1.3 JRC INFORMATION DAYS, PUBLICATIONS, AND CONFERENCES 20 
1.4 HUMAN RESOURCES 22 
1.5 FINANCES 24 
2. ACTIVITIES OF THE JRC INSTITUTES IN 1996 26 
2.1 THE INSTITUTE FOR REFERENCE MATERIALS AND MEASUREMENTS 26 
2.2 THE INSTITUTE FOR TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS 28 
2.3 THE INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED MATERIALS 31 
2.4 THE INSTITUTE FOR SYSTEMS, INFORMATICS AND SAFETY 33 
2.5 THE ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE 38 
2.6 THE SPACE APPLICATIONS INSTITUTE 41 
2.7 THE INSTITUTE FOR PROSPECTIVE TECHNOLOGICAL STUDIES 43 
Annex 47 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
OBSERVATIONS BY THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS 
ON THE JRC ANNUAL REPORT 1996 
1996 - A Year of Successful Challenge for the JRC 
1. 1996 was a year of successful challenge for the JRC, due to its efforts to comply with the demands for 
more customer driven research and competitivity while maintaining its Community character. These 
demands were put to the Centre by the Community Institutions back in 1994, with implementation to be 
initiated in 1995. A first progress report was requested by the Council and issued by the Commission in 
1996, covering the first one and a half years of the new programme period. The Board assisted the 
JRC in its preparation and accompanied the report with an opinion. This opinion recorded satisfaction 
with progress made to sustain the initiatives taken, while commenting also on room for further 
improvement. The Board has been pleased to learn of the endorsement this report has received from 
the Council and the European Parliament. 
2. The Annual Report 1996 bears witness to these sustained developments. Highlighted activities from 
the large JRC portfolio of ongoing projects amply illustrate how the Centre is contributing to the Union's 
objectives, including the sustainable growth in the Member States and its service to the European 
citizen. The numerous network arrangements aim at ensuring the interaction between the JRC's 
activities and those of industry, national research laboratories and universities. 
3. The full spectrum of competitive activities opened up for the JRC in 1995 was a new challenge and 
called for a reorientation of the Centre's modes of operation. The results of the first year were 
encouraging. The 1996 Annual Report records the progress made and illustrates that all seven 
institutes of the JRC have engaged themselves in every facet of the new opportunities laid out for the 
JRC. The challenge for the JRC - as for all knowledge producers in the Community - is how to 
accelerate the rate of exploiting the knowledge resource for the benefit of European industry and 
citizens - how to improve their economic position and well-being. The record shows that the JRC has 
responded positively to this challenge. As one of the key European S&T players it recognises the 
responsibility placed upon it and will continue to respond positively to the trust placed in it by Member 
States in the 1994 Council Conclusions. 
Evaluations of the JRC 
4. 1996 again saw an evaluation of the JRC activities performed by outside experts in conformity with the 
Council decisions on the JRC specific programmes and carried out upon consultation with the Board. 
Visiting Groups were selected for each of the JRC institutes and Professor J.M. Rojo, former Secretary 
of State for Research in Spain, provided an overall evaluation and analysis of the reports from the 
Visiting Groups which was discussed with the Board in December 1996. 
5. The findings of these reports largely confirm satisfactory further progress which has taken place in the 
JRC since the previous evaluations in 1993-1994. The many detailed recommendations will provide a 
stimulus for the way forward. Amongst the more cHtiosI remarks the Board agrees that there is still 
room for improvement in the operation of the Centre and notably in the boundary conditions which 
govern - and Wmtt - Its acKvfties. 
Evolution of JRC Status 
6. As foreseen, in 1996 the Commission decided to give the JRC the status of an autonomous Directorate 
General - a welcome step, which in the repeatedly stated view of the Board should be followed by 
further moves to aNow the JRC to fully achieve the change in working methods envisaged by the 
Council Conclusions of April 1994 and indeed, in order to wholly fulfil its mission. To facilitate this , the 
possibility of endowing the JRC with legal personality has been considered. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
Commercialisation of the JRC, Dissemination of Information 
7. 1996 called for new initiatives on the commercialisation of JRC activities and research results. A closer 
attention to goals and performance parameters has raised the awareness of these essential issues 
within the JRC institutes and has borne fruit, as evidenced by the 1996 Annual Report. The Board 
welcomes the fact that new imaginative initiatives are under way, including pooling of commercial 
contracts and increasing awareness of the intellectual property. Amongst those the Board has agreed 
to the initiation of a feasibility study to be launched in early 1997 on creating a Technology Park at the 
JRC Ispra site. 
8. Meanwhile, the JRC has intensified the dissemination of information on its activities at national level. 
As a contribution to this, in 1996 Members of the Board together with the JRC, again arranged for a 
series of presentations of the JRC throughout the Member States, gathering representatives from 
industry, national research and universities together with JRC representatives in order to foster further 
collaboration with the Centre. 
High Flux Reactor 
9. 1996 brought a Council decision on a supplementary programme for the High Flux Reactor (HFR) at 
Petten (NL) for the period 1996-1999. This implied a complete overhaul of the management of the 
facility and an intensive drive towards a more direct commercial use of a considerable part of its 
capacity with the ensuing improvement in efficiency and economy, as already planned in 1995. 
Preliminary results give the basis for optimism. 
Towards the Fifth Framework Programme 
10.The Board has noted with keen interest the policy documents issued by the Commission in 1996 
towards the Fifth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development which should 
begin in 1999 and the views on the JRC contained in these documents. It has also noted discussions 
on these documents which have already taken place. Further discussions on this will no doubt follow in 
early 1997. The JRC may be called to face new challenges, but the Board is convinced that full benefit 
will be drawn from the contribution of the JRC to the major objectives of the European Union. This will 
comprise not only its ability to act as a European wide resource to build efforts around infrastructural 
critical mass but also its ability to improve neutral and independent expertise at the European level. 
Staff Issues 
11 The evaluation reports have underlined the need for changes in present procedures concerning staff 
management and notably for recruitment. These views are fully shared by the Board. The problem will 
become even more acute in the near future as the age structure of JRC staff will result in many 
vacancies, whose timely filling is of paramount importance for the future of the JRC. Stimulated by the 
evaluation reports, the Board intends once again to address the issues concerning the staff policy and 
its implementation at the JRC. 
12.At senior level, the Board has welcomed the appointment of Mr. Hugh Richardson to the new post of 
Deputy Director General in 1996 and noted the progress of the four new Directors appointed in 1995. It 
has also advised the Commission on the appointment of Professor Grasserbauer, who takes up his 
post as Director of IRMM in early 1997. Mr. H. Allgeier, the first Director of IPTS in Seville was 
transferred by the Commission at the end of the year to another function within the Commission and is 
thanked for setting this Institute well under way. 
The Board congratulates Mr. Hans Jorgen Helms, formerly Director of Programmes, who retired in 
1996 and who was nominated to the rank of Honorary Director General in recognition of his dedication 
and continuous service to the Joint Research Centre. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
Acknowlodgemonts 
^'^ I ho Board acknowledges Commissioner Cresson's continued interest in the JRC, as evidenced by the 
reports from her visits to the JRC sites during the year. The Board reiterates its appreciation of the 
hard work and devotion of the Director General, his senior collaborators, and indeed the entire JRC 
staff in addressing the challenges facing them. 
HIGHLIGHTS OF 1996 
The JRC scientific and technical work is mostly interdisciplinary and covers a large number of projects. 
The following few examples illustrate differing areas of activity and varied funding arrangements for the 
JRC work in 1996. 
The MARS project {Monitoring Agriculture wflfr Remote Sensing) carried out by the JRC's Space 
Applications Institute (SA!) provides constantly updated agrometeotologlcal information enabling accurate 
monitoring and extrapolation of crop development in Europe and beyond, The approach is based on an 
agrometeorologlcal model drawing on weather data {rainfall, temperature, radiation evaporation...) and 
agronomic data (growth state, water content biomass produced, grain weight, etc,}, The advantage of the 
system is that It provides homogeneous information In real time covering a wfdfc geographical area. It is 
also useful as an early warning system (e*g> identification of of abnormalities in crop patterns of 
development). 
In September 1996 the Council of the EU adopted the Directive on Integrated Pollution Prevention and 
Control (IPCC) which marks a new era in environmental legislation. In contrast to the traditional approach 
of setting emission standards of general applicability, the IPPC directive integrates the different pollution 
media (e.g. air and water or land) and takes into account both the sensitivity of the local environment and 
the technological progress. It covers large installations of the most polluting industrial sectors such as the 
chemical, metal and energy industries. The Best Available Techniques (SAT) in these sectors will be 
identified by the 'IPPC Bureau' through a process involving representatives from the fifteen Member 
States of the Union and the relevant industrial and environmental organisations. These BAT documents 
will constitute the main reference once issuing local permits. The IPPC Bureau is established at the JRC 
Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) which holds responsibility for technology watch at 
European level. IPTS has acquired significant expertise on BAT studies (an analysis of the sectors of 
ammonia and nitric acid has just been completed) and has won the contract to manage the IPPC Bureau. 
IPTS will promote the exchange of information end ensure neutrality in the process of finding consensus 
among all the concerned parties. 
BIOMEDICAL REFERENCE MA TERIAIS 
Biomedical Reference Materials, which are needed for the development and verification of the accuracy 
and correctness ôf diagnostic test kits (e.g. pregnancy, hepatitis, diabetes, certain cancers), sre now) 
| certified by the JRC (Institute for Reference? Mariais and Measurements (1RMM)). ! 
A" en\-\ ' \<A ' V- '. ti'. : Sniernatloru-! Federation of Clinical Chemistry (iFCC), signed in October 1996 by j 
\, >iri r!*i«<r r-nli| CRF.3SON, j.^rr-vide,. for reference materials produced o\- ihc hnsl;; of orojects 
I <,( ; ,o" -f : , srec to bo tested *r\0 ec-rtiflad by ths> lnsitiU;t-:\ Revenue -OiTi L-.'>C-S O 
s • , -*, -!*•. c shared ly IFCC and tha Institute. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
The Futomdav, are design standards adopted by the European construction industry. Eurocode 8 
specify standards that buildings should adhere to if they are to withstand vibration, whether caused by 
road or rail traffic or even by earthquakes. The standards are checked by a consortium of European 
laboratories using a variety of methods including computational analysis ar& shaking fcfctes> The JRC 
(institute for Systems, Informatics and Safety (ISIS)) Is part of this consortium; its main contribution is the 
development and operation of the reaction wall facility {unique in Europe) {Ewtoptmn Laboratory for 
Structural Assessment ELSA) which utilises the pseudodynamlc test method to test fu8«sca!e structures. 
The validity of Eurocode 3 has been confirmed for bare frame reinforced concrete structures thanks to the 
testing of 3-storey concrete frames In the facility. In addition, tie code has been modified to take into 
account infilling of the building frames with mw^fucferetmôlensls, 
ELSA Is also used to check methods for retrofitting In order to protect existing buildings, particularly those 
of great historic interest, from damage d^ejo vibration, 
Collaborative research on a commercial basis is carried out by the JRC (Institute for Advanced Materials 
(1AM)) in the area of materials requirements for improved design and operation of high temperature 
components tor power generation plants. Evaluating the work carried outT Professor Regis of ENEL {the 
Italian electricity utility - the customer) recently wrote; 
"Ail the individual suborojects hâve carried out excellent expérimental investigations, according to the state 
of the art, some of which have been anticipated in specific papers. The findings am generally in good 
agreement with the most advanced conclusions reached by large manufacturera or wHh the practices 
under testing by other utilities. These résulte are highly valuable since inay would «flow extended scientific 
exchanges of information and know how with other international kbomtorksT with other end users, with the 
Original Equipments Manufacturers (OEM} and their subsidiary companies m charge of material and 
coating processing". 
The European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products {EMEA}, set up at Canary Wharf, London 
m 1995, relies for its drug approval and registration activities on the expertise of the JRC. The European 
Technical Office for Medicinal Products (ETOMEP) (a brandsof the JRC's Environment Institute) 
develops and supports the technical systems needed for the market authorisation procedures and 
maintains staff in the EMA's premises. The help end support provided by the JRC have been widely 
acknowledged by the Agency itself and the Member States. 
VAGABONDING FISSILE MATERIALS 
In cooperation with the Commission's Safeguards Directorate, Luxembourg, and following Member States' 
requests, the JRC (Institute for Transuranium Elements {ITU} has analysed further confiscated fissile 
materials > 
The diversity and the high accuracy of the analyses enable a "fingerprint' of the seized material to be 
obtained This enables the previous history of the material to be understood and provides clues as to its 
origin with the aid of a data bank. 
The role of the JRC in this field, already recognised at the Essen Summit, has led to several prelects in the 
frame of the TACIS (Technical Assistance to the CIS Countries) and PHARE programmes {PHARE is the 
EU programme to assist Poland, Hungary, Armenia» Bulgaria, Slovenia, Albania, Estonia, Latvia and 
Lithuania). ITU staff also frequently appear as expert witnesses In the courts or parliamentary inquiry 
committees of Member States concerning so-called vagabonding nuclear materials. The Institute is 
actively involved m the work of the P~8 International Technical Working Croup on Illicit Trafficking of 
Nuclear Materials. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
10 
COMPETITIVE ACTIVITIES, MARKETING 
In 1996, the JRC won a number of important research contracts, such as the substantial PHARE contract 
on agricultural information systems, including satellite based applications of remote sensing for six PHARE 
countries. 
Work for outside third parties progressed and new customers were found to take advantage of JRC 
scientific competence and experimental installations, some of which are unique In Europe. 
At the initiative of Commissioner Edith Cresson, a new approach to the marketing, valorisation and 
commercialisation of the JRC was initiated; the Commission decided to launch a feasibility study on 
creating a European technology park at the largest JRC siter Ispra, in northern Italy. The objectives are; to 
make fuller use of the competence and installations of the JRC, create synergy between the JRC, industry 
and other research centres, promote the creation of innovative ftrms, in particular SMFs, and encourage 
innovation in existing companies, 
Particular measures include increased attention to quality management The first certification, by an 
accredited outside body of the implementation of quality standards was made during the year. Clear 
definition of performance indicators to be used by management at all levels was given, while new steps 
were taken to extend industry and other user involvement through User Advisory Groups for the JRC 
institutes. Marketing efforts have been focused with the aid of clearly defined marketing plans for the JRC 
as a whole and each Institute. 
ORGANISATIONAL MEASURES, STAFF POLICY 
The 1995-1998 guidelines for the JRC called for flexible and dynamic operation of the Centre and 
underlined the need to ensure a gradual transition and an adaptation of existing rules and regulations. The 
Commission decided to establish the JRC as an autonomous Directorate General in January, 1996 and 
reorganised the lepra Site by merging two of its institutes, 1ST and ISEI, into the Institute for Systems, 
Informatics and Safety (ISIS), thereby strengthening JRC research on technological risk evaluation and 
safety issues. 
1996 saw the implementation of the Commission's policy for all Commission research sail The concept of 
a 25% contingent of short term staff has already added flexibility and enabled the constant renewal of 
scientific competence. 
HIGH FLUX REACTOR AT PETTEN 
In June 1996, the Council approved a new supplementary EURATOM programme for the High Flux 
Reactor (HFR) at Petten (NL), covering the period 1996-1999. The new programme, in which Germany, 
France and the Netherlands take part, has Involved a complete overhaul of the management of the facility 
and an intensive drive towards a more direct commercial use of a considerable part of its capacity, 
involving the production of radio-isotopes for medical use. In 1996 an estimated 7 million patients were 
diagnosed or treated using radio-isotopes produced at Petten. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
11 
1. THE JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE IN 1996 
1.1 CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT, 
EUROPEAN INDUSTRY AND THE WELL-BEING OF THE EUROPEAN POPULATION 
The JRC research activities contribute to several lines of the Community Framework Programmes through 
the JRC specific programmes 1995-1998: 
•The Industrial Technologies and Materials Technologies programme was carried out by the Institute for 
Advanced Materials (IAM) and encompassed research projects on advanced materials, on surface 
engineering, on new ecofriendly materials and on non-destructive evaluation techniques for the 
inspection of industrial structural components. 
•The Measurements and Testing programme encompassed research projects on reference 
measurements and materials - carried out by the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements 
(IRMM) - and on the assessment of the reliability of structures, carried out by the Institute for Systems, 
Informatics and Safety (ISIS). 
•The Environment and Climate programme consisted of: research projects on atmosphere, soil, water 
and waste pollution, executed by the Environment Institute (El); the setting up of the Centre for Earth 
Observation (CEO), a decentralised European data management and information system; applications 
of remote sensing techniques, carried out by the Space Applications Institute (SAI); and industrial 
hazards studies carried out by the Institute for Systems, Informatics and Safety (ISIS). 
•The Non-Nuclear Energy programme consisted of research projects related to materials for clean 
technologies and to the standardisation of photovoltaic devices - carried out by the Institute for 
Advanced Materials (IAM). 
•The Targeted Socio-Economic Research programme included the Science and Technology 
Observatory function and prospective work carried out by the Institute for Prospective Technological 
Studies (IPTS). The essential role of the Institute is to harvest the available contributions from experts, 
consultants, research organisations and institutes in Member States, and when possible in third 
countries, in order to analyse, process and integrate them impartially and in depth and, more importantly, 
to distil clear trends or needs for action in a usable form for decision makers. 
•The Nuclear Fission Safety programme encompassed a number of research activities ranging from 
studies on reactor safety - carried out by the Institute for Systems, Informatics and Safety (ISIS) and the 
Institute for Advanced Materials (IAM) - to research activities on nuclear safeguards and fissile materials 
management, executed by the Institute for Systems, Informatics and Safety (ISIS) and the Institute for 
Transuranium Elements (ITU). ITU carried out research on the safety of nuclear fuels and actinides. 
•The Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion programme (Technology and Safety) was carried out by the 
Institute for Systems, Informatics and Safety (ISIS) and the Institute for Advanced Materials (IAM). 
This research is executed in the seven JRC Institutes as shown in Table 1 and it amounted to 68% of the 
JRC programme activities in 1996. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
12 
Table 1 - JRC Research Activities 
FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME LINES 
Industrial Technologies and Materials Technologies 
Advanced Materials and Standards for Industrial Innovation 
Surface Engin, for Improved Properties and for New Industrial 
Applications 
Recycling and Materials Eco-Technology 
Non-Destructive Evaluation, Testing and Inspection of Industrial 
Structural Components 
Measurements and Testing 
Prenormative Research in Support of Construction Norms and 
Standards, including Seismic Design Codes (Eurocodes) 
Car Safety 
Reference Materials 
Reference Measurements 
Environment and Climate 
• Global Change 
Centre for Earth Observation (CEO) 
Atmospheric Processes over European Regions 
Remote Sensing for Terrestrial Biosphere (Land Degradation in 
the Mediterranean Region, Forest Monitoring) 
Remote Sensing for Marine Biosphere (North Atlantic Ocean, 
Mediterranean Sea) 
Advanced Earth Observation Techniques (Environment and 
Road Conditions Monitoring and Land Mine Detection) 
• Environmental Quality 
Techniques & Equipment for Environmental Quality Monitoring 
• Innovative Environmental Technologies 
Industrial Reliability (Experimental Activities) 
High Performance Information Tech. for Environm. Protection 
Natural Hazards / Seismic Research 
Natural Hazards / Flooding, Droughts 
Non-Nuclear Energy 
Photovoltaic Energy and Electricity Storage 
Materials for Clean Technologies 
Targeted Socio-Economic Research 
Technology Watch / Technology-Employment-Competitiveness 
Nuclear Safety and Safeguards 
• Reactor Safety 
European Networks on Component Ageing, Inspect. Techn. & 
Struct. Integrity 
Severe Accidents including Probabilistic Studies 
• Fuel Cycle Safety 
Basic Actinide Research 
Safety of Nuclear Fuels 
Mitigation of Long-lived Actinides and Fission Products 
Spent Fuel Characterisation in view of Long-Term Storage 
• Safeguards and Fissile Materials Management 
Safeguards R&D 
Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion 
Fluid Separation and Structural Analysis 
Fusion Materials 
Remote Handling 
Tritium-Materials Interaction IRMM 
X 
X ITU 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X IAM 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X L ISIS 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X El 
X 
X SAI 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X IPTS 
X 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
13 
Pari Two of this document provides a more detailed description of these research activities in 1996, 
institute by institute. However, some significant results have been highlighted in this chapter: they illustrate 
how research has enabled the JRC to contribute to the advancement of science and technology for the 
benefit of European industry and the well-being of the European population. 
A new co-operation agreement signed by Commissioner Edith Cresson, between the Institute for 
Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) and the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry 
(IFCC). will enable the IRMM to push forward its work on good quality health care, by developing 
biomedical certified reference materials (CRMs). These are increasingly important instruments for the 
promotion of human health: they increase the reliability and accuracy of diagnosis in the laboratory, thus 
significantly reducing the risk of diagnostic errors, and they improve the quality of patient treatment. 
Under the agreement, laboratories and scientists around the world will be involved in providing reference 
materials needed by industry and clinical laboratories. 
Certified reference materials of foodstuffs are also prepared at IRMM for food quality control, to assist 
enforcement of European legislation on food. 
The Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU) is intent on further reducing radiotoxicity in highly active 
wastes through collaborative work carried out with leading national laboratories in the area of mitigation of 
long-lived actinides and fission products. 
Fabrication and characterisation of fuel targets for irradiation experiments and post-irradiation examination 
to compare the results with theoretical predictions was another major task of ITU. New extraction 
processes for the effective separation of long-lived actinides were also tested under realistic conditions. 
The ITU's contribution to the study of medical applications of actinide research (treatment techniques for 
different cancers) was enhanced. Several batches of 225Actinium - 213Bismuth produced by ITU using new 
processes were delivered to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York for use in 
experimental treatments on patients. 
The Institute for Advanced Materials (IAM) developed three novel activities in 1996 of potential benefit 
to European industry: 
• The concept of a new pressure vessel for the petro-refinery industry, designed to avoid hydrogen attack 
of the vessel walls and to provide increased vessel life, enhanced safety for workers, and decreased 
wall thickness. 
• A fibre tow transport system for continuous coating of endless fibres. 
• A chemical vapour deposition process for 3-dimensional shaped micro-structural coatings. 
Benefitting the consumer, a method for monitoring the release of metals in the food processing industry, 
using a thin layer activation technique developed at Ispra's cyclotron will be applicable in particular to baby 
food and in the pharmaceutical industry. 
A spin-off from the cyclotron activities will allow development of new diagnostics and therapeutics 
techniques using Positron Emission Tomography (PET). A new PET project was launched at Ispra, for a 
European network hosting research medical staff from all over Europe, which will transfer the techniques 
to their respective home institutions. 
At the Institute for Systems, Informatics and Safety (ISIS) several activities focused on safety for 
industry and the population, particularly nuclear safety and the safeguarding of nuclear materials, industrial 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
14 
and transport safety, the seismic protection of buildings and civil engineering works, the preservation of 
cultural heritage, and architecture. 
As for nuclear safety, the FARO and KROTOS facilities at Ispra carried out experiments leading to a better 
understanding of the progression of severe accidents and to an improvement of codes used to analyse 
how best to mitigate the consequences. 
Progress in car safety was fostered by the design and development of a new precision impact testing 
method. The use of a new stress wave transducer in the Large Dynamic Testing Facility (LDTF) allows 
load, displacement and energy flow to be measured in any part of a vehicle body, so that numerical models 
of vehicles can be calibrated and validated. 
The facilities of the European Laboratory for Structural Assessment (ELSA) continued to provide a unique 
test bed for the application of the pseudodynamic test method for checking the seismic resistance of 
structures, in particular irregular bridges. The method confirmed that bridges which we would have 
expected from previous tests to suffer severe damage, remained practically intact. It is expected that the 
concept of seismic isolation will become more common, both for the construction of new bridges and for 
the retrofitting of existing structures. 
The Environment Institute (El) is directly contributing to a better quality of life with its specific research in 
the area of climate and the environment. Global change studies encompass Biogenic Emission in the 
Mediterranean Area (BEMA Project) and the role of aerosols in climate regulation. 
The BEMA project, particularly focused on tropospheric ozone, aims at understanding the role of the 
Mediterranean vegetation in atmospheric chemistry and ozone formation. 
El also focuses on the study of natural risks, in particular in aquatic systems, at the request of the 
Commission and the Member States: the study of "red tides" in the Mediterranean Sea (MITO project), 
and a variety of water management, water quality and recovery projects (e.g. AMAL, AQUACON, 
SALMON). An Environment Water Task Force was established in 1996, at the initiative of the 
Commission, to contribute to a European strategy for sustainable management and rational use of water; 
its aim is to make European enterprises more competitive in this area and to refocus scientific and 
technological co-operation on priority projects. 
Human health was also the concern of the indoor pollution group, whose unique facility for the monitoring 
of indoor air quality (INDOORTRON) is being used for exposure studies, measurements of pollutant 
emission from materials and equipment, and for the testing of air cleaning devices. 
The Space Applications Institute (SAI) concentrated on applications of remote earth observation, 
sensing and detection. SAI's institutional research on environment and climate embraced the terrestrial 
and marine biospheres, the lithosphère and the atmosphere, resulting in a comprehensive approach to the 
uses of earth observation. 
The study of primary production in the ocean can benefit from satellite derived colour data in identifying 
bio-geo-chemical processes. Applications based on data from new ocean colour sensors are now being 
developed for the study of the Mediterranean basin. 
Among other activities, a new natural hazards project is aimed at improving existing disaster management 
practices, specifically in the cases of forest fires, floods and droughts. The contribution to a project on the 
remote detection of antipersonnel land mines is being continued. The measurement of surface water 
storage in networks of drainage ditches is being developed. 
Together, SAI and ISIS continued to provide support for the Centre for Earth Observation (CEO) project 
whose objective is to promote the use of satellite-based earth observation data. 
Contributions to the CEO project focused mainly on its design and implementation phase, with work on all 
four CEO components: User and Applications Support, Enabling Services, Monitoring, and Co-ordination. 
The Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) pursued its observation of all relevant 
scientific and technological events and trends in Europe, and its following of technical change in order to 
get a better understanding of the links between technology, the economy, and society. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
15 
The European Science and Technology Observatory (ESTO) was officially established in 1996, with the 
task of collecting and processing information. Responsibility in these Technology Watch activities is shared 
with other partners at the national level. The main themes are: assessment of C02-related technologies; 
technology transfer and advanced materials; human genome analysis, genetic screening and gene 
therapy; multimedia information society. 
On the Technology, Employment and Competitiveness theme, economic and social sustainability is being 
studied, with a special focus on competitiveness, employment and the role of innovation in regional 
development and resources management. 
Support for Community Policies 
These activities falling under the Community Framework Programmes are necessary for the formulation 
and implementation of Community policies and accounted for 32% of the JRC's programme activities in 
1996 and were related to the following Framework Programme lines: Information Technologies, 
Environment and Climate, Agriculture and Fisheries, Targeted Socio-Economic Research and Nuclear 
Safety and Safeguards through the JRC specific programmes 1995-1998. 
The support activities are customer driven, in fulfillment of impartial and neutral scientific and technical 
requirements arising from EU directives, decisions of the Commission and the Council, or obligations 
stemming from the Euratom Treaty. The work executed in the JRC Institutes is illustrated in Table 2. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
16 
Table 2 - JRC Support Activities 
Framework Programme Lines 
Information Technologies 
Safety and Reliability of Systems 
Software systems 
High Performance Computing and Networks 
Environment and Climate 
European Reference Laboratory for Air Pollution (ERLAP) 
European Chemical Bureau (ECB) 
European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods 
(ECVAM) 
Support to the European Environment Agency (EEA) 
Quality Control of Consumer Products (Consumer Protection) 
Alpine Observatory 
Industrial Reliability: Major Accidents Hazards Bureau 
Biotechnology Safety 
Foodstuff Analysis in Support of Industrial Policy 
European Technical Office for Medicinal Products (ETOMEP) 
Methodologies for UCLAF 
Agriculture and Fisheries 
Remote Sensing for Agriculture 
Animal Identification 
European Office for Wine, Alcohol and Spirit Drinks 
(BEVABS) 
Reference Measurements and Materials for Quality Control of 
Foodstuffs 
Targeted Socio-Economic Research 
Prospective Technological Studies 
Nuclear Fission Safety 
European Networks on Component Ageing and Inspection 
Techniques 
Euratom Safeguards Support: General 
Euratom Safeguards Support: On-Site laboratories and 
ECSAM 
IAEA Safeguards Support IRMM 
X 
X 
X 
X ITU 
X 
X IAM 
X ISIS 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X El 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X 
X SAI 
X 
X IPTS 
X 
In 1996, the three main lines of JRC support activities were: 
1. JRC Support for the Environmental Policy, which accounted for 43% of the scientific and technical 
support budget. It provided DG XI with scientific and technical assistance for the implementation of the 
legislation on chemical pollutants, atmospheric pollution, water quality, chemical waste, industrial risks, 
and nuclear safety. This work is part of the 5th EC Action Programme in the field of the environment, 
and includes: 
• The European Reference Laboratory for Air Pollution (ERLAP), which was particularly active in the 
preparation and implementation of EC Directives on ambient air quality, with emphasis on the urban 
environment and industrial emissions and the harmonisation of measurements in the EU air quality 
monitoring networks. 
• The European Chemicals Bureau (ECB), which is now handling all the technical and scientific tasks 
required for the classification and labelling of dangerous substances, the implementation of the 
notification scheme for new substances, testing methods for chemicals and export/import control of 
dangerous substances. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
17 
• The European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM), which was created in 1991 to 
provide; S/T support for the regulatory work of the Commission on various chemicals and products. In 
particular, it co-ordinates efforts to promote orderly scientific and regulatory acceptance of alternative 
methods which can reduce, refine, or replace the use of animals in laboratory procedures. Its activities 
included pre-validation of non-animal test protocols, vaccine potency and safety testing, and integrated 
alternative approaches in toxicity testing studies. 
• The European Technical Office for Medicinal Products (ETOMEP). This office, which forms part of a 
unit at El, is established both in London, at the European Medicine Evaluation Agency, and in Ispra, at 
the Environment Institute. It is dedicated to the development of technical systems necessary for the 
implementation of European Union legislation on medicinal products. Its work is of direct and immediate 
use to the European Medicine Evaluation Agency, the Member States, and pharmaceutical regulatory 
bodies. 
• Support for the elaboration of methodologies for the EU antifraud policy (UCLAF), via the effective 
development, introduction and use of new information technologies and data and risk analysis methods. 
• Support services related to the Alpine Observatory (Alpine Convention), with the aim of producing 
and/or collecting data, indicators and information characterising the environmental and socio-economic 
status of the Alpine region. These data will be useful to the National Communication Centres, for 
distribution at national level. 
• The Major Accident Hazards Bureau, which supports the "Seveso" Directive on industrial hazards by 
operating the Major Accidents Reporting System (MARS) and the Community Documentation Centre 
on Industrial Risk. End users include all the actors in the legislative and regulatory process concerned 
with plant safety, such as national and local authorities, industry and safety practitioners. 
• The JRC also provides institutional support to the European Environment Agency (EEA-Council 
Regulation 1210/90). 
2. JRC Support for the Common Agricultural Policy (DG VI), which accounted for 17% of the 
Scientific and Technical Support budget. Work is carried out mainly in the following research areas: 
• Research and development of new verification methods and instruments for verification for improved 
animal identification, in order to prevent fraud. An identification system was under preparation, 
including electronic identifiers, readers, data acquisition systems, control strategy, data base and data 
transmission techniques with headquarters evaluation. 
The technical features of a large scale pilot project, IDEA, for electronic animal tagging with passive 
transponders, were prepared. The tagging of one million animals in various countries of the EU is 
contemplated. 
Quality control of foodstuffs, by supplying certified reference materials, providing suitable analytical 
procedures, and supplying and/or coordinating laboratory intercomparisons for evaluation and 
improvement of existing methods and development of new methods of analysis. 
• Application of remote sensing to agricultural statistics, with the aim of developing and demonstrating 
methodologies which can integrate remote sensing data into the collection of statistics for the 
monitoring of crop acreage and agricultural production in the EC. 
• Monitoring and control of the Common Agricultural Policy: research and development of new remote 
sensing techniques allowing improved monitoring and control of the Common Agricultural Policy. 
• Implementation of Community wine sector legislation through the operation of the "European Office for 
Wine, Alcohol and Spirit Drinks" (BEVABS). The work focuses on the control of adulteration and of the 
origins of wine, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) techniques, 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
18 
with the aim of setting up a European Union Wine Data Bank. Some 4000 EU NMR wine data have 
been validated to be stored in the relevant data bank. 
3. JRC Support for Nuclear Safeguards (Euratom Safeguards DG XVII, IAEA Safeguards support 
programme DG I) accounted for 32% of the scientific and technical support budget. 
Most of the work undertaken dealt with the following tasks: 
• Training of inspectors, harmonisation of in-service nuclear safeguards inspection practices, providing 
state of the art equipment and reference analyses of nuclear materials samples. 
• Design of on-site laboratories for safeguards analysis at reprocessing plants such as Sellafield and La 
Hague; routine analysis of nuclear materials samples; examination of the purchase and testing of 
major equipment, including the construction of two analytical boxes, and the training of analysts. 
• Work on non-destructive assay, sealing and identification techniques, surveillance techniques, testing 
of safeguards equipment, data information treatment, health physics and training. 
Other Institutional Scientific and Technical Support activities deal with: 
• Safety and reliability of informatics systems, for DG III. 
• Foodstuff analysis in support of the industrial policy, for DG III. 
• Quality control of consumer products (consumer protection), for DG XXIV. 
• Techniques for inspecting ageing nuclear components, in support of DG XI and DG XVII. 
1.2 COMPETITIVE ACTIVITIES 
In the past, the JRC carried out research on a competitive contractual basis for external clients, the so-
called "work for third parties". The discussions in the Council and the European Parliament leading to 
decisions on the EC Fourth Framework Programme as well as the EURATOM Framework Programme 
emphasised the need for the JRC to thoroughly reinforce its move towards a competitive approach, on the 
basis of a genuine customer/contractor relationship, as stated in the Council Conclusions of April 1994 on 
the role of the JRC. 
The full spectrum of competitive activities, as given in the guidelines of the Council Conclusions, were, for 
1996: 
Under the Framework Programmes: 
• Participation of the JRC in Shared-Cost Actions : 
The JRC, in association with partners in the Member States, submitted proposals in the context of calls for 
proposals issued by the Commission. 
• Competitive support actions: 
"Shared Cost Actions" are specific programmes under the Framework Programmes where accepted projects are 
financed partly by the programme resources and partly by the own resources of the proposers. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
19 
Scientific and technical support activities requiring a competitive approach, where the JRC responded to 
requests from the Commission's other Directorates General. These activities were allocated on a 
competitive basis in the context of invitations to tender. 
Outside the Framework Programmes: 
• Activities under contract: 
The conduct of research and supply of services under contract to third parties, including contracts secured 
in the context of the of Member States' RTD Programmes. 
• Other Community Activities: 
JRC's participation in Community actions (e.g. PHARE, TACIS, co-operation with developing countries, 
etc.) where Community funding is obtained in the context of a competitive approach. 
The Council conclusions stated that the shift towards competitive activities should average 22% for the EC 
Framework Programme and 10% for the EAEC Framework Programme from 1995 to 1998, and that this 
transition should be a gradual and progressive process over the four year-period. Accordingly, the Council 
in its conclusions invited the Commission to amend its internal rules as needed and to propose to the 
Council all necessary decisions. The Commission reported during 1996 on progress to the Council and 
European Parliament . A further report is foreseen at the end of 1997. 
Participation in shared-cost actions continued in 1996. In response to further calls for proposals, the JRC 
and its partners presented 210 proposals. In its review for 1996, the JRC noted fewer calls for proposals 
than were issued in 1995 or at the end of 1994. 
It is noteworthy that the JRC, associated with partners in shared-cost actions, has made applications, and 
has had applications accepted, both in Framework Programme themes corresponding to JRC institutional 
activities, and in other themes, e.g. telematics, advanced communication technologies and services, or 
marine sciences and technologies. 
This illustrates the fact that the JRC is now a fully multi-disciplinary research centre, which can develop 
scientific disciplines outside the prescribed Framework Programme themes and can be successful in the 
competitive arena. 
Competitive activities in support of Commission services continued, while a part of the contracts gained by 
the JRC in 1995 were signed in 1996 only and work started later in the year. New contracts gained in 1996 
amount to 10,6 Mioecu but, as for last year, signature of a large part of these contracts will only take place 
in 1997. 
Examples of S/T support activities where the JRC successfully bid in response to Commission services 
calls for tenders can be found in the following areas: 
• Information management systems and general Information Technologies support work; 
• Systems support to environmental problems as well as to non-nuclear energies; 
• Remote sensing applications in support to the Common Agriculture Policy; 
• Support for efforts to transfer technology arising from EC research. 
Outside the Framework Programmes, the JRC has gained contracts in other actions introduced by the 
Community, namely from the PHARE and TACIS programmes. These total some 4,2 Mioecu and include: 
• A major PHARE project on agricultural information systems, including applications of remote sensing 
for six PHARE countries. Extensions are foreseen for five more PHARE countries, and the project may 
be extended in following years. 
COM(96) 436 final, 6.9.1996 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
20 
Alongside these new types of activity, the JRC continued to work under contract. New contracts in 1996 
lolallod 13,6 Mioecu. Recent contracts being carried out include: 
• Continuing work for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission on a major experimental installation in 
Ispra. 
• Establishment in a Member State region of a Centre for the prevention of pollution and risks associated 
with the handling and transportation of toxic substances. 
• Nuclear instrument development for a large nuclear industrial firm in a Member State. 
• Development of numerical methods for the simulation of the behaviour of concrete structures for a 
national electricity utility. 
• Development of ultrasonic systems for monitoring liquid circuits for an industrial company in a Member 
State. 
Table 3 - Competitive Activities (Mioecu) 
Inscribed in 1995 accounts Inscribed in 1996 accounts 
Shared-Cost Actions === 3.9 9.8 
Competitive Support 4^8 10.6 
Competitive Activities outside the FWP 1J3 42 
Third Party work 18j> 13J> 
TOTAL [ 28.5 | 38.2 
The figures are apart from the activities related to the HFR reactor at Petten (NL). In 1995 a particularly 
large contract was signed for third party work in a Member State region over a number of years. 
HFR Supplementary Programme 
The High Flux Reactor (HFR) at Petten is operated by the Commission in accordance with the 
Euratom/Netherlands agreement of 25 July 1961. On 27 June 1996, the Council adopted a four-year 
supplementary research programme to be implemented by the Joint Research Centre for the European 
Atomic Energy Community (1996-1999) concerning the operation of the High Flux Reactor (HFR) at 
Petten. Under previous supplementary programmes, the activities of the HFR were essentially the 
outcome of co-operation between two partners, Germany and the Netherlands. The new supplementary 
programme introduced two major changes. On the one hand, the co-operation was enlarged to include 
France, which decided to support the HFR. On the other hand, besides traditional work for the nuclear 
R&D and industry, it was decided to dedicate a large part of HFR activities to medical applications. On the 
basis of contractual relationships, the reactor will be a major contributor to the production of medical 
radioisotopes for the needs of the European radio pharmaceutical industry. Furthermore, it was planned to 
use the unique possibilities offered by the HFR for the treatment of glioma, a highly malignant cancer of the 
brain. 
1.3 JRC INFORMATION DAYS, PUBLICATIONS, AND CONFERENCES 
The new approach to JRC activities calls for closer collaboration with industry, research centres and 
universities in the Member States. Therefore, to promote better awareness of the JRC, Information Days 
were organised at the initiative of Members of the Board of Governors in Dublin, Ireland and Espoo, 
Finland Similar Information Days had been held in other Member States in previous years. JRC staff 
presented the Centre and, in parallel, workshops representing the Institutes established the basis for new 
collaborations. An Information Day more targeted to nuclear applications took place in Stockholm, 
Sweden, and another one on environmental and remote sensing activities took place in Reykjavik, 
Iceland. Following a day of presentations and discussions at each of the above events, the JRC 
participants had meetings and contacts with industry, research centres and universities. These 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
21 
Information Days thus supplemented the numerous presentations of the JRC given to visitors on the sites, 
visits made to national laboratories, presentations of the JRC at specialised fairs and exhibitions, and 
distribution of JRC literature. 
The JRC offers a vast array of publications on scientific matters, ranging from papers and articles 
published in scientific magazines, to conference papers, EUR reports, reviews, and information about the 
JRC posted on INTERNET. 
In 1996 the JRC published in total around 1,180 papers, and their distribution by Institute is shown in 
Table 4. 
The detailed list of JRC publications is published each year in the "Publications Bulletin". The last issue, 
No. 16, published in March 1996, lists all publications issued in 1995. 
Table 4 - JRC Publications in 1996 
Institute 
General Management 
Institute for Reference 
Materials and Measurements 
Institute for Transuranium 
Elements 
Institute for Advanced Materials 
Institute for Systems, Informatics 
and Safety 
Environment Institute 
Space Applications Institute 
Institute for Prospective 
Technological Studies 
TOTAL EUR 
Reports 
2 
2 
2 
15 
36 
36 
21 
33 
147 Confer. 
Papers 
-
87 
89 
121 
177 
200 
85 
6 
765 Articles 
Published 
-
19 
42 
6 
34 
60 
29 
-
190 Special 
publications 
8 
-
-
11 
22 
15 
20 
9 
85 Total 
10 
108 
133 
153 
269 
311 
155 
48 
1,187 
Most of these publications are available upon request from the Public Relations Unit, Ispra. 
In addition to publications, the above mentioned Bulletin lists all patents obtained by the JRC. There were 
9 patents granted in 1996. 
Each year, the JRC organises a number of conferences, workshops and seminars at its five sites in 
Europe. In 1996 there were 9 conferences, 138 international workshops and meetings, and 130 visits to 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
22 
the various sites. The resulting total of about 11,000 visitors shows the constant interest of the scientific 
community in the contributions to research and development made by the JRC. 
1.4 HUMAN RESOURCES 
The JRC's statutory staff is made up of officials and temporary agents, including both scientific-technical 
and administrative staff. 
By the end of December 1996, the statutory staff numbered 1,746 agents, as compared with 1,786 in 
December 1995. Table 5 gives the distribution of statutory staff in 1996. Beside normal mobility, a number 
of staff members retired in 1996, having reached the statutory age limit. Recruitment for replacements was 
in progress at the end of the year. 
Table 5 - Distribution of statutory staff as of December 1996 
Institute Staff 
Directorate General 34 
Programmes Directorate 8 
Resources Coordination - Scientific & Technical Support Ispra 428 
Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements 181 
Institute for Transuranium Elements 186 
Institute for Advanced Materials 267 
Institute for Systems, Informatics and Safety 276 
Environment Institute 222 
Space Applications Institute 100 
Institute for Prospective Technological Studies 35 
JRC staff seconded to national bodies 9 
TOTAL 1,746 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
23 
In addition to statutory staff, 186 scientists were also active in the JRC under various hosting schemes: 
• senior scientists hosted as visiting scientists; 
• national experts seconded to the JRC by Member States, to participate in selected scientific work; 
• post-doctoral scientists and post-graduate students trained through a programme of fellowships. 
Table 6 gives the distribution, by Institute, of these scientists working at the JRC at the end of December 
1996. 
In addition, about 21 scientists each year come from a third country, assisted by a grant within the 
framework of a Commission agreement with their countries or with the International Atomic Energy Agency 
(IAEA). 
Besides the above mentioned scientists, several senior scientists and about 183 trainees work at the JRC 
Institutes at no cost to the EU budget, in general for short periods of time. 
Table 6 - Visiting scientists, seconded experts, grantholders as of December 1996 
Institutes 
Resources 
Coordination 
Institute for Reference 
Materials and 
Measurements 
Institute for 
Transuranium Elements 
Institute for Advanced 
Materials 
Institute for Systems, 
Informatics and Safety 
Environment Institute 
Space Applications 
Institute 
Institute lor Prospective 
Technological Studies 
TOTAL Visiting 
Scientists 
-
1 
-
2 
4 
3 
2 
3 
15 Seconded 
Experts 
-
1 
-
-
2 
1 
5 
-
9 Post-
Doctoral 
Scientists 
-
10 
7 
12 
11 
8 
9 
6 
63 Post-
Graduate 
Students 
-
20 
6 
14 
11 
26 
15 
7 
99 TOTAL 
-
32 
13 
28 
28 
38 
31 
16 
186 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
24 
1.5 FINANCES 
The budget (commitments credits) as implemented by the JRC in 1996, is given in Table 7. 
Table 7 -1996 Budget implementation in Mioecu (Commitment Credits) 
Institutional activities 
Information and Comm. Technologies 2.946 
Industrial Technologies and Materials Technologies 21.534 
Measurements and Testing 26.722 
Environment and Climate 74.451 
Agriculture and Fisheries 10.849 
Non Nuclear Energy 3.838 
Targeted Socio-Economlc Research 7.728 
Subtotal EC Specific Programmes} 148.068 
Nuclear Safety and Safeguards 63.229 
Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion ,_„___„ 10.310 
Subtotal EAEC Specific Programmés] 73.539 
SCA EC Programmes 3.013 
SCA EAEC Programmes 0.411 
Subtotal SCA 3.424 
__„ Total specific Programmes [ 225.031 
Competitive Activities 
Participation to shared-cost actions (SCA) 4.011 
Competitive Scientific and Technical Support activities 10.191 
Participation to Community activities outside the FWP 1.879 
Work for third parties 16.561 
Subtotal 32.642 
HFR Reactor 8.088 
HFR Completion of previous programmes 6.262 
Subtotal I 14.350 
TOTAL | 272.023 
To these commitment credits one must add 0.800 Mioecu of credits carried over from the 1995 Budget 
(related to completion of previous programmes). 
Total JRC committed financial resources amounted to 273 Mioecu: 
• for the execution of the JRC specific programmes (Research and Institutional support activities for the 
services of the Commission) 
• for the execution of JRC competitive activities within the framework of the EU budget (participation in 
shared-cost actions, competitive support activities for the services of the Commission, JRC participation 
in other Community activities, contributions from the Dutch and German governments for the operation 
of the HFR and from JRC customers for the execution of work at their request. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
25 
The financial resources tor the specific programmes were provided by the JRC part of the General Budget 
for the European Union 1996 and the contributions from the EEA (European Economic Area) countries: 
Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway for the EC programmes. In addition, there is a contribution from 1996 
onwards to the EC programmes from Israel. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
26 
2. ACTIVITIES OF THE JRC INSTITUTES IN 1996 
2.1 THE INSTITUTE FOR REFERENCE MATERIALS AND MEASUREMENTS (IRMM) 
The IRMM promotes and harmonises the use of European standards, reference materials and 
methodologies at the European level. In 1996, the Institute pursued its specific programme under the 
heading of Measurements and Testing and contributed to the Framework Programme line "Industrial 
Technologies and Materials Technologies". IRMM consolidated its responsibility for managing the BCR's 
(Bureau Communautaire de Référence) reference materials. 
IRMM is also engaged in support activities for Community policies related to nuclear safeguards, the safety 
and quality control of consumer products, and reference measurements and materials for quality control of 
foodstuffs. It provides services and reference materials to various customers from the European Member 
States. 
A. Institutional Activities 
Institutional Research Activities 
As in the previous years, the measurement expertise and refined analytical techniques of the Institute have 
been applied to prepare, characterise and certify high quality reference materials in both the nuclear and 
non-nuclear fields, in order to establish a co-ordinated analytical measurement system at European level. 
Within this framework, IRMM is now responsible for storage, stability control, distribution, sales 
administration and recertification of BCR certified reference materials. 
BIOMEDICAL CBRTtFtEU REFERENCEMATERIALS 
A major route into the field of reference materials has been opened with a new co-operation agreement 
between IRMM and the International Federation of CMcat Chemistry (IFCC) for the production of certified 
reference materials of biomedical relevance. This agreement, signed by Mme Edith Cresson, the 
European Commissioner for Science, Research and Development will significantly enhance the 
Commission's role in the development of biomedical certified reference materials. These ere crucia tor 
carrying out repidfy and reSebty accurate diagnoses in laboratories - an essential starting point ioi (, -od 
Qi'atfty Malth care By significantly rariucmg the risks of diagnostic errors, certified mfemnce n^ :- ••: 
s «tee ft'i- c*î.'< '/:y ofp&tis if treaimeri -.vhih also hoping to curb heafciQe-e co>y:s, 
\hder v-e aiinemem krboratorhs -»:i? scientists around the world wilt be iuvoîveû m providing fv'^vtit--
T.v.teriafs nçedeo* by njustry and zhniçai laboratories. They win be produced en the oasis c-: C'~%-< 
propositi by iFCC and tmir validity will be certified by ifre IRMM. •Vt. 
Research on biological and environmental materials was carried out with the isolation and stabilisation of 
chloroplasts suitable for the bio-assay of pesticide traces in drinking water control. 
An effort was made to increase significantly the capabilities for production of reference materials, from 
powder to liquid samples, basically with the aim of producing certified solutions containing dioxins and 
furans. Analytical research was pursued on metallothionein characterisation by electrochemistry and liquid 
chromatography, and on heavy metal traces of environmental or bio-medical relevance, with the aim of 
producing new reference materials. 
The neutron activation analysis facility set up in collaboration with the SCK/CEN at Mol (B) is now 
operational for quality control during the preparation and certification of reference materials. 
The IRMM continued to use the two strong neutron sources of the Institute (LINAC and 7 MV Van de 
Graaff) to perform neutron data measurements for applied purposes following the recommendations of the 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
27 
OFCD NEA Nuclear Science Committee, in particular its Working Party on International Evaluation Co­
operation 
Work related to nuclear matters included, inter alia, the supply of targets for neutron cross-section 
measurements, fission fragment studies and other applications; the refurbishment of techniques for 
electrodeposition of actinides and the development of methods for high yield reduction of oxides for the 
preparation of stable isotope metal targets. The measurement of neutron total and absorption cross 
sections for 99Tc and 237Np in the resonance region needed for waste transmutation work is being studied 
in close collaboration with CEA (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique), Saclay (F), the investigation of the 
Doppler broadening of neutron resonances with the laboratories of CEA, Cadarache (F) and ILL (Institute 
Laue-Langevin) (F), a safety parameter important for the calculation of the temperature coefficient of 
reactivity of reactors. 
In response to a long-standing request from the Joint European File (JEF) project, the cross sections for 
inelastic scattering from low-living levels of molybdenum isotopes have been measured. Other important, 
accurate measurements were performed in order to improve the set of nuclear data measurement 
standards. The neutron total cross section of 10B and the fission fragment mass yield distribution and 
fission neutron spectrum of 252Cf have been investigated. Improved methods of measuring the 
235U(n,f)/H(n,n) cross section ratio are being developed. Also, as an extension of the LINAC facility, a new 
laboratory is being completed, to develop non-nuclear applications in the field of radiation physics. 
Institutional Support Activities 
IRMM's support activities were mainly related to Nuclear Safeguards at the request of DG I (External 
Relations), for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and DG XVII (Energy, Euratom Safeguards 
Directorate). But numerous non-nuclear certified reference materials were also prepared for other DGs. 
The following activities highlight work carried out as institutional support to other Directorates General: 
Work on dried nitrate or metallic spike material was continued, to improve safety at large processing 
plants, and uranium and plutonium isotopic reference materials were prepared on behalf of DG I for 
IAEA. Low concentrations implied meticulous chemical work in IRMM's ultraclean chemical laboratory. 
IRMM provided DG XVII (Energy) with solutions for detector calibration needed in non-destructive 
assays of uranium and plutonium. 
Certified reference materials of foodstuffs were prepared for DG III (Industry) and DG VI (Agriculture), 
for quality control to assist enforcement of European legislation. For DG VI, new activities were 
initiated on selenium speciation. Cosmetics analyses and a product safety data bank were under 
further development for DG XXIV (Consumer Policy). 
B. Competitive Activities 
Shared-Cost Actions deal with: 
• the preparation and certification of a set of organic and inorganic reference materials for the 
measurement of rare earth elements; 
• the preparation and certification of a sludge reference material for the measurement of poly-
chlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychloro-dibenzofurans (PCDF) contaminations; 
• the preparation and characterisation of catalytic converters with respect to platinum, rhenium, zirconium 
and cerium; 
• the preparation of bronze reference materials for corrosion studies on bronze antiquities. 
Competitive Support Activities 
A contract was concluded via DG XIII (Telecommunications, Information Market and Exploitation of 
Research) with an SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) aiming at the validation of a 13C isotopic 
measurement method which can be applied to the diagnosis of stomach diseases by a non-intrusive 
inexpensive technique based on the isotopic measurement of exhaled breath. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
28 
Research under Contract 
IRMM services and reference materials are also available on a commercial basis. As IRMM now manages 
the BCR's reference materials, these are also being made commercially available for non-nuclear 
applications. 
TRACEA&IUTY AND ACCREDITATION 
IRMM signed co-operation agreements with several European Standards Laboratories to ensure that 
chemical measurements at these national standards institutes can be made traceable to the international 
standard (Si) system (with reference to the Avogadro Constant measurements at IRMM). 
in this context, the European Co-operation for Accreditation of Laboratories (EAL) has requested the JRC 
to provide Reference Measurements through IRMM's International Measurement Evaluation Programme 
(IMEP), This gives an idea of the true measurement abiïlties of interested laboratories, by comparing their 
results on blind sampies against values which are traceable to the St system, the internationally agreed 
system of Quantities and Units under the convention of the Metre* EAL considered the satisfactory 
performance of the IRMM programme as an asset in the accreditation of measurement laboratories. 
The international Measurement Evaluation Programme (IMEP) is arousing interest in a growing number of 
laboratories. The most recent tMEP round on trace element in water was concluded. Comparative 
performance surveys for more than 300 laboratories worldwide were evaluated. 
The Regular European Interlaboratory Measurement Evaluation Programme (REIMEP), an external quality 
control exercise, recently brought together 20 laboratories worldwide in round-robin tests on uranium oxide 
powder and two uranyl nitrate solutions. 
The supply of nuclear samples to external customers, in particular for reactor neutron dosimetry, was 
continued. A uranium doped glass reference material for fission track dating of geological samples was 
prepared. 
2.2 THE INSTITUTE FOR TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS (ITU) 
The safety of actinides in the nuclear fuel cycle continued to be the major institutional contribution of the 
Institute to the Framework Programme line Nuclear Fission Safety. Major research areas were basic 
actinide research, safety of nuclear fuels, mitigation of long-lived actinides, and spent fuel characterisation. 
ITU also provided scientific and technical support for Community policies in the area of nuclear safety and 
safeguards, predominantly related to the implementation of on-site laboratories at Sellafield and Cap la 
Hague, but also related to nuclear safety in Eastern countries and the Russian Federation. In addition, ITU 
continued to carry out contractual work at the request of various customers. 
A. Institutional Activities 
Institutional Research Activities 
Basic actinide research is needed to elucidate the electronic structure of actinide elements and point out 
their interest for chemistry and solid-state physics. Important results have been obtained in the 
understanding of uranium-based heavy-fermion superconductors doped with neptunium and plutonium. 
Other themes include the use of pressure to study trends in structural transitions and changes in 
resistance at low temperature; the theory of light solid interactions; and the use of neutron and synchrotron 
experiments to complement the bulk-property measurements. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
29 
In the area of safety of nuclear fuel, porosity distribution and mechanical properties of fuel at very high 
bum-up were measured and evaluated. Structural properties of fuel with simulated bum-ups of up to 200 
GWd/t were examined and compared with real high burn-up fuel to better understand the rim effect 
formation processes. Oxidation and creep measurements on SIMFUEL were carried out, and radiation 
damage studies on UO2 yielded for the first time direct visible evidence of tracks of fission fragments in 
this material. 
The fuel performance code TRANSURANUS was further amended with data from high burn-up fuel. A new 
sol-gel installation for the production of actinide-bearing fuels is undergoing final commissioning. 
These activities contribute to improving nuclear safety, particularly in phenomena which occur in light water 
reactor fuel rods for extended times of operation. Fuel fabrication technologies are also being improved. 
This work is addressed to operators of nuclear reactors and fuel fabrication plants, and national and 
international authorities in charge of licensing and regulation. 
In the area of spent fuel characterisation, the investigation of the oxidation kinetics and corrosion effects of 
irradiated U02 and MOX fuel was prominent. Leaching tests on U02 and on fuel rod segments with pre-set 
defects were carried out. The chemical interaction of fuel and cladding was further investigated. Extensive 
work to study the leaching of simulated high burn-up fuel was carried out, leading to an explanation for the 
buffering behaviour of molybdenum on the oxidation potential of spent fuel. Non-destructive 
measurements, based on CdTe detectors, were performed on spent fuel under hot cell conditions. This 
work is targeted to characterisation of unprocessed spent fuel and its behaviour under long term storage 
conditions, determination of its radiotoxic potential, and investigation of leaching of this waste form under 
various realistic conditions. These activities are mainly addressed to reactor operators, the fuel cycle 
industry and licensing authorities. 
Collaborative work with leading national laboratories takes place mainly in the area of mitigation of long-
lived actinides and fission products, with particular emphasis on further reduction of the radiotoxicity of 
highly active wastes. 
Another major task of ITU is the fabrication and characterisation of fuel targets for irradiation experiments 
and post-irradiation examination, the results being compared with theoretical predictions. New extraction 
processes for the effective separation of long-lived actinides are tested under realistic conditions. 
A NEW MICRO X^RAY DIFFRACTION TECHNIQUE FOR THE CHARACTERISATION OF IRRADIATED 
FUELS 
New methods of material characterisation of Irradiated fuels am required for the investigation of the 
microstructural changes occurring in the fuel at very high bum-up, A microindentation study concerning 
the mechanical properties of high burn-up fuel was realised In collaboration with the nuclear industry, in 
order to demonstrate that the fracture toughness of the dm material increases considerably with the 
accumulated bum*up, mainly as a consequence of the grain size reduction taking place in this region. A 
new programme for the characterisation of the lattice structure variations of high bum-up fuel was 
launched, and a new micro-X-ray diffraction system for powder dlffractometry was developed with a 
Qoliimation of the incident beam down to a dimension of 3X0.01 mm, allowing the acquisition of diffraction 
spectra of irradiated fuel samples at intervals as small as 20-30 micrometers in the radiai direction. With 
this system, the structurai characterisation of different nuclear and non-nuclear thin interface materials will 
also be possible, such as for instance those appearing in fight water reactor fuel under severe accident 
conditions. 
In 1996, a new fabrication procedure based on the infiltration of radioactive materials (INRAM) into 
matrices was developed, tested and successfully applied to the fabrication of americium-containing 
incineration targets, within the EFTTRA irradiation programme (Experimental Feasibility of Targets for 
Transmutation). 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
30 
The initial layout of the minor actinide laboratory was modified, and the purchase of major components 
initiated. Actinides were separated from irradiated fuel on a 100 g scale, including a final separation step 
for lanthanides. Radiation damage and basic physical property studies were performed on different inert 
matrices. 
In the area of safeguards R&D, the Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (SIMS) for the measurement of 
particles from swipe samples went into operation, and the first environmental samples were received and 
analysed. 
Institutional Support Activities 
In support of Community policies in the area of Nuclear Safeguards and Fissile Material Management for 
DG XVII, major progress was achieved towards the implementation of the on-site laboratory at Sellafield. 
Analytical procedures and working procedures in accordance with ISO 9001 were completed. Verification 
measurements on samples taken at Cap la Hague and Sellafield continued. 
Routine analytical measurements on samples sent to the Institute continued within the framework of 
ECSAM (European Commission's Safeguards Analytical Measurements). ITU also continued to receive 
and analyse seized nuclear materials. A nuclear material data bank was set up, in close collaboration with 
the Bochvar Institute in Moscow. 
Test samples with extremely low concentrations of radionuclides and samples from in-field experiments 
from environmental monitoring were measured at the request of the IAEA and DG XVII. 
B. Competitive Activities 
Shared-Cost Actions 
One out of two proposals submitted to the second Nuclear Fission Safety Programme call for tender was 
accepted, on the investigation of corium interactions and thermochemistry. The overall objective of the 
project is to provide new data on key properties and characteristics of "prototypic corium" which may be 
formed under severe reactor accident conditions inside or outside a reactor core. 
PIONEERING WORKONALPHA-RAOtQmMVNQTmRAPY 
When alpha-emitters are conjugated to tumour-seeking monoclonal antibodies, me resulting product may 
become a powerful cancer therapeutic too/. Pioneering work on alpba+mdioimmunotharapy for the 
treatment of metastatic cancers was performed at iTU. Three projects are being carried out: 
« Production of mAc through Irradiation of mR$ in a cyclotron using a proton beam. 
• Use of 2t3&i and *zsAc for kUling multiple myelomlc cancer cells present in human bone marrow, in 
collaboration with "Ecole des Mines'' and INSERM (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche 
Médicale) in Nantes. 
Cllnhal trials done on patients with acute myelog&naous leukemia in the Memorial Shan Ketienng 
Cancer Center in New York, using mBHmmunotherapy The results of the first treatment of two 
patients confirm that the drug is behaving In the human body as predicted from the pra-ctinicat data. 
Research under Contract 
As in previous years, the work carried out for various customers concerned post-irradiation examination of 
irradiated fuel, fabrication and characterisation of fuels for transmutation, and examination of high burn-up 
oxide and mixed oxide fuels. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
31 
Other Competitive Activities 
The following proposals were submitted to the TACIS/PHARE programmes: 
Assistance to Hungary, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, for fighting illicit trafficking of nuclear 
material. 
Co-operation with MINATOM and Gosatomnadzor in setting up analytical facilities in the Russian 
Federation for nuclear material accountancy and control. 
Co-operation with the Leningrad Nuclear Power Station to improve the safety of nuclear fuel. 
Co-operation with the Czech Republic in the area of fuel modelling to improve the safety of reactor 
operation. 
2.3 THE INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED MATERIALS (IAM) 
IAM performs research on advanced materials. The research activities were carried out within the four 
following Framework Programme lines: Industrial Technologies and Materials Technologies, Non-Nuclear 
Energy, Nuclear Fission Safety, and Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion. 
IAM developped in 1996 some valuable contributions to science and technology, with the concept of a new 
pressure vessel for the petro-refinery industry, a fibre tow transport system for continuous coating of 
endless fibres, and a chemical vapour deposition process, all of them to the benefit of European industry. 
IAM also initiated new activities on the development of new production techniques for medical 
radioisotopes, which will improve health care for European consumers. 
1996 was also the first year of the new HFR (High Flux Reactor) supplementary programme for the 
European Atomic Energy Community (1996-1999). Besides traditional work for nuclear R&D and Industry, 
a large part of the HFR's activities was dedicated to medical applications, through research on materials 
under irradiation and on Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), a new therapy for brain cancer tumours. 
The production of medical radioisotopes on a commercial basis will continue and increase. 
A. Institutional Activities 
Institutional Research Activities 
The Industrial Technologies and Materials Technologies programme carried out at IAM covers four main 
topics: advanced materials and standards for industrial innovation, surface engineering for improved 
properties and for new industrial applications, recycling and materials eco-technology, and non-destructive 
evaluation, testing and inspection of industrial structural components. 
The Non-Nuclear Energy programme consists of two main research lines: photovoltaic energy and 
materials for clean technologies. The first mainly deals with standardisation of photovoltaic devices, while 
the second concentrates on new catalytic car exhaust systems. 
The Nuclear Fission Safety programme includes a contribution from IAM in the form of the European 
Networks on component ageing, inspection techniques and structural integrity. These Networks are 
particularly focused on the ageing of materials used in nuclear reactors. 
The Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion programme at IAM is mainly carried out within three activity lines: 
fluid separation and structural analysis, fusion materials, and tritium-materials interaction. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
32 
TRANSMUTATION STUDIES 
The first irradiation experiment at tha HFR on Technetium transmutation has been successful terminated 
at a transmutation rate of approx, 6,6%. The Irradiated experiment has been investigated at the Fatten hot 
celts of the EON (Energmndartoek Cantrum Nedertand), A haw sample has b$en prepared from the 
irradiated material for continuation of the Irradiation In a second phase. The irradiation with the second 
sample is in progress, and wHfbo pursued to a transmutation rate of 20%. 
Another irradiation experiment on the transmutation of Atmricium in an inert matrix has been started 
successfully during the third quarter of 1$$$ at the High Flux Raactor (HFR). The test originates from the 
Nuclear Fission Safety Programme of the European Commission, and is performed by the experimental 
Feasibility of T&rgats and TrawmMatiw {EFFTRA) gmtps* tat&ratorfes and institutes. The target sample 
consists of 1t9 weight % AmOz In m inert matrix. It was produced by the Institute of Transuranium 
Elements (ITU) by a novel technique which is subject & & paient The imdtatidn wilt fast for approx. 400 
full power days and yield an actinide bwnup of>38%< 
The relevance of IAM research activities for industry can be illustrated by the following examples, for each 
of which a patent proposal has been issued. 
• Firstly, the concept of a new pressure vessel for the petro-refinery industry, designed to avoid hydrogen 
attack of the vessel walls. This concept has now reached the stage of a demonstration project (financed 
by DG XIII - Telecommunications, Information Market and Exploitation of Research, in the framework 
of the valorisation activity) and will provide increased vessel life, enhanced safety for workers, and 
decreased wall thickness, as compared to current designs. 
• The second example is a fibre tow transport system for continuous coating of endless fibres. The 
innovative fibre tow transport system simplifies enormously the fibre processing steps involved in the 
fabrication of ceramic matrix composites by performing, in a single stage, cycling and recycling 
operations for sequential fibre treatment. 
• The third example is a chemical vapour deposition process for the production of 3-dimensional shaped 
microstructural coatings for functional applications, which combine resistance to wear and self-
lubrication, two usually incompatible properties. 
Institutional Support Activities 
IAM provided support to DG XI (Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection) through the European 
Networks AMES (Ageing Materials Evaluation and Studies), ENIQ (European Network for inspection 
Validation, and NESC (Network for Evaluation of Steel components); and to DG XVII (Energy) within the 
framework of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards. For DG XI, strong assistance was given to the working 
group on codes and standards and to action groups on inspection and manufacturing, fracture mechanics, 
and materials. For DG XVII, participation and support were provided to the forum ENDEF (European Non-
Destructive Evaluation Forum) and its interaction with Russian and Czech experts. 
THIN LAYER ACTIVATION ELECTROCHEMICAL TE$T FACILITY 
A new experimental facility at IAM, using the innovative Thin Layer A" \Mion (TLA} method, will make it 
possible to study metal surface degradation processes, such as corrc 'Jen and wear by using radiotracers. 
This applies, in particular to heavy metal release due to corrost.i in, e.g>, the food processing and 
pharmaceutical industries and to biomatmat applications in life sck;:$a studies. Very low cone mirations 
can be monitored In this way thanks to a gamma spectrometry facility. 
±é±t±u0jBMie*a£ 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
33 
1996 also saw the launching, at IAM, of a new project dealing with Positron Emission Tomography, which 
should establish a European Network; this Network will host medical staff from all over Europe at Ispra, 
where new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques will be developed, which they can afterwards transfer to 
their own home institutions. 
B. Competitive Activities 
Shared-Cost Actions 
IAM participated in 1996 in proposals for Shared-Cost Actions. The total number of proposals was 
comparable to last year's with, however, a better distributed portfolio across the different shared-cost 
programmes. This reflects the new structure of the Institute, in particular the new units on structural 
materials and tritium technology and energy system testing. 
Competitive Support for Community Policies 
Eight proposals to the Valorisation Programme of DG XIII were successful : they cover the following 
themes: 
• life sciences, with a project on medical image processing software; 
• materials science, with a project on crack detection by camera; 
• structural integrity, with a project on improving the resistance of reservoirs to hydrogen attack; 
• software development for corrosion test management; 
• tritium technology, with a project on tritium removal from water; 
• composite processing technology, with a project on brake disks. 
Research under Contract 
New contracts signed in 1996 deal with Personal Computer based high temperature materials data base 
software, non-destructive evaluation techniques, coatings technologies, and corrosion studies on materials 
for power generation. 
Other Competitive Activities 
IAM continued to be involved in projects related to TACIS and PHARE activities, at a level comparable to 
the previous year. Among these, one contract was signed with a major nuclear company to perform work 
on in-service inspection of primary circuit components. 
2.4 THE INSTITUTE FOR SYSTEMS, INFORMATICS AND SAFETY (ISIS) 
ISIS is the JRC's centre of expertise in the science and technology of safety management, the multi-
disciplinary analysis of industrial, socio-technical and environmental systems, and the innovative 
application of information technology. 
It contributed in 1996 to the Framework Programme lines Environment and Climate, Non-Nuclear Energy, 
Nuclear Fission Safety, Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion, and Measurements and Testing. Work at ISIS 
focused on several fields, including nuclear safety and safeguarding of nuclear materials, industrial and 
transport safety, seismic protection of buildings and civil engineering works, natural resource and 
environmental management, support to antifraud measures, and last but not least, the preservation of 
cultural heritage and architecture. 
In addition, ISIS provided scientific and technical support for Community policies in the fields of: 
safeguards, for DG I (External Relations) and DG XVII (Energy); safety and licensing issues in the 
nuclear, chemical and biotechnology industries, for DG XI (Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
34 
Protection); information technology, for DG III (Industry); and fraud control, for DG VI (Agriculture) in 
particular, tagging for Identification of animals and the Commission antifraud service (UCLAF). 
A. Institutional Activities 
Institutional Research Activities 
ISIS research work on safeguards prepared to meet future demands from inspectorates and plant 
operators: 
• In the field of non-destructive techniques, an analytical dead time correction algorithm for passive 
neutron detection was developed, and a high efficiency passive neutron counter was constructed, with 
a relatively low dead time. 
• The TAME (Tank Measurement) facility is now operational, and several tank calibration exercises have 
been conducted. 
• The ultrasonic identification of seals is being investigated, especially for sealing containers of irradiated 
and non-irradiated fuel assemblies or powders in storage areas. 
• The TEMPEST laboratory has been upgraded to meet increased requests for instrument testing. 
As to surveillance systems and mobile robotics technology, studies are being conducted on the use of 
laser range finders for real time localisation of a mobile robot. 
In the area of nuclear safety, experiments were aimed at better understanding the progression of severe 
accidents and at improving the codes used to analyse how best to mitigate the consequences. 
The FARO (Fuel melting and Release Oven) and KROTOS facilities at Ispra were used to carry out 
experiments where molten mixtures of uranium dioxide and zirconium dioxide are dropped into water in 
order to observe such phenomena as mixing, jet break-up, quenching, and the risk of explosion with 
representative materials. 
The European Laboratory for Structural Assessment (ELSA) continued to provide a unique test facility for 
applying pseudodynamic test methods in order to check the seismic resistance of structures, especially 
bridges. 
AEROSOL TRANSPORT PHENOMENA 
At present, STORM (Simplified Tests on Resuspenslon Mechanisms) is the most représentative facility in 
Europe tot investigating aerosol transport phenomena in reactor coolant circuits. Eight tests on the 
deposition and resuspensbn of solid tin dioxide particles were successfully performed ir-19&& The aim is 
to simulate tha transport Of aarosol particles through the pipawork Of a nuol^r reactor wider reactor 
conditions. 
An unexpectad finding was the importance of the tharmophoresis m&ch&iîsm during déposition. 
International interest was demonstrated by a wide participation at the two meetings of t\& Scientific 
Committee and by the agreement of fiva partners (ENEL4 Italy( C$N, Spain, CtEMAT, Spain, Ris#, 
Denmark, andPSf, Swltzertand} to provide manpower for test preparation and analysis, 
A new precision impact testing method for improving car safety was designed and developed: the use of a 
new stress wave transducer in the Large Dynamic Testing Facility (LDTF) allows load, displacement and 
energy flow to be measured in any part of a vehicle body, so that numerical models of vehicles can be 
calibrated and validated. 
ISIS continued to provide support for Centre for Earth Observation (CEO) projects to promote the use of 
satellite-based earth observation data. Two systems, the European Wide Service Exchange (EWSE), and 
the G7-ENRM (Environmental and Natural Resources Monitoring) were designed and implemented. These 
systems allow organisations to publicize their earth observations on the Internet without having their own 
Web server. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
35 
Institutional Support Activities 
ISIS offered technical support to the Euratom Safeguards Inspectorate and provided the technical means 
whereby DG I (External Relations) supported the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at Vienna. 
S/T support was offered to the Safeguards Directorate of DG XVII (Energy) for the implementation of 
nuclear safeguards as required by the EURATOM Treaty. 
The most significant activities were the following: 
• A remote monitoring link between Ispra and Luxembourg through an ISDN (Integrated Services Digital 
Network) connection, using commercial equipment. 
• An unattended measurement station for the determination of 235U in LWR (Light Water Reactor) fuel 
assemblies. 
• The delivery of sealing bolts to be installed in a spent fuel storage pond. 
• An important increase of the environmental testing of safeguards equipment. 
• Extensive field tests on a new surveillance system of a Pu storage area based on heat flow meters. 
• Training courses for EURATOM inspectors on non-destructive assay techniques and mass and volume 
measurements of liquids in large tanks. 
S/T support was provided to IAEA for its technical activities in the framework of the Non-Proliferation 
Treaty and the corresponding Safeguards Agreements with the EC Member States. The activities are 
mainly oriented to the development, testing or adaptation of methods and instruments and to inspector 
training: 
• Environmental testing of safeguards equipment, under thermally, mechanically and electromagnetically 
induced stresses. 
• Several demonstrations on sealing equipment of Pu02 transport containers, sealing bolts for spent fuel 
multielement bottles, and special transport and storage casks. 
• Instruments and software for process monitoring for mass and volume determination in large tanks of 
bulk handling facilities, tested by IAEA in selected facilities. 
• A spent fuel monitor, which is now being studied for the rapid verification of U or Pu in containers. 
• Training courses for IAEA inspectors on mass/volume determination of liquids in large tanks and the 
measurement of spent fuel, using a JRC-developed underwater gamma measurement system. 
ANIMAL mENtmCAflON | 
The antifraud policy of DG VI (Agriculture) Is increasingly based on the technical verification by national j 
and EC inspectors of the declarations maoe by farmers £ associations of the presence and movements of 
their livestock and their alimentary products, New EC regulations are being defined in these areas, h j 
particular for the electronic ictantiffcatfoh of cattle and sheep* \ 
The JRC is carrying out the first pilot project on the electronic Identification ofseveraf thousand of animais, -
in collaboration with eight European tabOr0lorie$ and organisations. tSt$ is developing technical . 
verification systems, for the testing of equipment performance and for the use St evaluation of in-Held 
measurement results. The electronic identifiers, hand-held and static reading devices of sev £••«?/ 
commercial companies have been extensively tested In the TEMPEST laboratory according to a mc-
defined protocol based on international standards. 
Moreover, a targe scale project (called IDEA) on the electronic identification by ear+tegs, injectable 
transponders or bolus-transponders of one million animais (sheep, goat$t cattle) in different EU countries 
has been presented to Member State authorities. The IDEA project Is expected to start In January 1997, 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
36 
Methods and instruments for the in-field verification of the volume and density of alimentary oil were 
developed. Field tests were conducted in Southern Italy to determine the performance of the dip tube 
technique and to evaluate its sensitivity to fraud scenarios. 
ISIS's support to the Safety of Nuclear Installations Unit, DG XI (Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil 
Protection) involved reviewing technical documents submitted to the Nuclear Regulators' Working Group 
and the Reactor Safety Group. Earthquake catalogues of areas from the former Soviet Union and Eastern 
Bloc countries were added to the European Seismic Catalogue. 
The Major Accident Hazards Bureau acts on behalf of DG XI to implement the Seveso Directive on 
industrial hazards by operating the Major Accidents Reporting System (MARS) and the Community 
Documentation Centre on Industrial Risk. 
B. Competitive Activities 
Shared-Cost Actions 
ISIS won and carried out 40 shared-cost action projects, including 19 additional proposals accepted in 
1996, within the Nuclear Fission Safety, Environment and Climate, BRITE, ESPRIT, Copernicus, Joule, 
and INNOVATION programmes, including: 
• In the RESOLV Project, a prototype of an Environment Sensor for Telepresence (EST) was 
implemented, together with the development of algorithms for three dimensional reconstruction. 
• In the Investigation of Core Degradation Project, the swelling of irradiated fuel was modelled. 
• The LDTF facility is being used to determine how a reactor pressure vessel can cope with fast impacts 
following an internal explosion. 
• The use of Shape Memory Alloys as a strengthening against seismic shocks is being studied in the 
ELSA laboratory and in the photonics laboratory. 
• Expertise on human factors is being applied to aircraft maintenance and dispatch. 
• Computational fluid dynamics tools are being further developed in collaboration with industrial partners. 
Competitive Support for Community Policies - Participation in Other Community Programmes 
Work on fraud control included studies on behalf of the Commission's fraud control body, UCLAF. A report 
was prepared correlating particular incidences of fraud with country profiles and monetary impacts. A 
feasibility study of an information system for UCLAF was also completed. 
ELSA obtained a contract from DG III (Industry), to improve Eurocode 8, the new European design code 
for earthquake resistant structures. This required tests on a full-scale three-storey composite (steel and 
concrete) structure, as well as on a three-storey reinforced concrete frame with irregular masonry infills. A 
project on the multi-site application of virtual reality was also accepted. 
The European Commission, through the TACIS programme, is helping the Russian Federation in its effort 
to improve its nuclear material accountancy and control. A major project is the creation of the Safeguards 
Methodological and Training Centre (SMTC), at the Institute of Physics and Power Engineering (IPPE) at 
Obninsk, to help implement new concepts of nuclear materials management. The JRC has been given the 
task of designing and implementing the new Centre, in cooperation with IPPE. 
The Centre will train plant operators, as well as "domestic" inspectors, in upgraded approaches to the 
accounting and safeguarding of fissile materials. It will also be a very important forum and meeting point for 
plant operators and inspectors. The existing premises, already licensed for the use of nuclear materials (U, 
Pu), are now being equipped with instrumentation for hands-on training. The first Russian-JRC course was 
held in July 1998 at IPPE, and two seminars were organised at ispra vor the training of future training staff. 
ISIS signed a contract with DG X! to check oaioi^uons for nuclear reactor accident ssquencs^ submitted 
by a number of organisations 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
37 
Work on environmental pressure and environmental impact was done for DG XI (impact studies of 
installations for the treatment and disposal of toxic and dangerous waste in the European Union) and the 
European Environment Agency (EEA), (Environmental pressure indicator models). 
It is an important part of ISIS's mission to transfer technology developed at Ispra to industry. To do so, the 
institute bids for funding from DG XIII (Telecommunications, Information Market and Exploitation of 
Research). In 1996 the following ten spin-off projects were supported: 
Comparative testing of an opto-thermal device. 
Differential thermal and pressure monitoring. Thermal detection systems. 
Exploitation of the batch chemical reactor relief line simulator package RELIEF. 
Industrialisation of advanced adaptive wavelets and fractal compression techniques . 
Electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI) based device for deformation measurement and 
mechanical characterisation of building materials. 
Interferometric fibre optic sensor for structural real time strain monitoring and damage detection. 
Exploitation of the STARS industrial reliability software. 
Implementation of a commercial generalised software control system for industrial robots. 
An interactive mobile surveillance system. 
A graphical user interface for the gas dispersion and combustion code REACFLOW. 
Research under Contract 
Three JRC institutes (ISIS, SAI and El) are working together with 79 departments from the Universities of 
Catania, Messina and Palermo on a vast regional development plan for Sicily. Major achievements 
included the use of optical inspection methods, three-dimensional structural analyses and tests in ELSA to 
understand how the Geraci Palace in Palermo can best be protected against earthquakes. 
New projects have been launched on behalf of the Basilicata region and the Italian Ministry of the 
Environment. ISIS's work concentrated mainly on water resources, cultural heritage, and emergency 
management following the release of dangerous chemicals. 
Moreover, ISIS has received the following commercial contracts: 
• A series of tests in ELSA for the Italian association of precast concrete structures producers. 
• Seismic tests in ELSA on a replica of the Sao Vicente de Fora monastery in Portugal. 
• An IAEA order for 500 sealing bolts was completed. 
• A study of a sealing system for a plutonium oxide transport container was carried out for PNC (Japan). 
• A plutonium drum monitoring technique has been licensed by ANTECH (GB) and a SuperPhonid 
uranium monitor by British Nuclear Fuels Limited. 
• Studies of aircrew training and stress in air traffic control rooms. 
• The impact characteristics measurement of advanced automotive high strength steel and aluminium 
alloys using LDTF, under contract with the European suppliers. 
• A license of the DYLAM-3 Code, developed by JRC-ISIS for dynamic reliability analysis, has been sold 
for the use of the Ship Research Institute of the Transport Ministry of Japan. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
38 
C. Exploratory Research 
A levy of 6% of the institutional budget is used to finance exploratory research. Priority was given to 12 
projects covering a wide range of subjects including non-linear time series analysis, brain-actuated control 
systems for the disabled, voice to text conversion, interactive multimedia for teaching, symbolic modeling 
of vehicles, regional flood vulnerability, remote measurement of water levels in environmentally sensitive 
areas, innovative accelerator driven nuclear reactors, modelling particle gas flows, smart materials, 
seismic monitoring, and stress-wave release from fracturing rocks. 
2.5 THE ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE (El) 
The Environment Institute contributed to the Framework Programme lines, Environment and Climate, and 
Life Sciences and Technologies, complemented by several competitive actions addressing other 
programmes such as Nuclear Fission Safety, and Measurements and Testing. 
An important part of El activities was a direct support for European Union sectoral policies, in fields as 
varied as environment, radio-protection and agriculture, with a particular emphasis on food and drug 
consumer protection. 
The Institute Director heads the Environment-Water Task Force established at the initiative of the 
Commission and intended to contribute to a European strategy for the sustainable management and 
rational use of water. 
A. Institutional Activities 
The balance between research and direct support activities (30% and 70% respectively) allows the 
institute to provide effective support while maintaining its scientific competence, as demonstrated by its 
presence in various international research programmes such as: EUREKA/EUROTRAC, which 
investigates the impact of human activities on tropospheric chemistry; IGBP/IGAC (International 
Geosphere Biosphere Programme/ International Global Atmospheric Chemistry); WMO/GAW (World 
Meteorological Organisation/ Global Atmospheric Watch). 
Institutional Research Activities 
Global Change studies deal with research linked to the composition of the atmosphere, the focus being on 
tropospheric ozone and the role of aerosols in climate regulation. 
AEROSOL AN0 cumm 
Atmospheric aerosols are believed to have an important effect art the Earth's radiative balance. The 
aerosols and ctimata project aims at uhd&rmnding both m key chemical and physical processes 
governing the formation of atmospheric aerosols, and the rote of anthropogenic precursors in these 
processes, in ordar to better evaluate tha scale of radiative affects, this project combines field work, 
laboratory studies and modelling activities, In collaboration with European and irttarmtionai research 
Th. study of the dynamics of sulfate cmosots, and the development of models simulating the evolution of 
the siTe distributions of these zerQsots on a global $caf$f is the major aspect of the aerosols $nd climate 
project 
An advanced gtob.%1 transport moditf (TM2) and a simplified aerosol dynamics model (M3) war* 
developed* and M3 was implemented m W& An importent first step towards assessing the effect of 
anthropogenic aerosols on the fadi&Pve properties of Clouds on a global sc$t$ has been achieved. In 
addition, work has been initiated to descnoe the mixing of sulfate, black carbortT desert dust and seasalt 
aerosols in TM2> 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
39 
The Biogenic Emission in the Mediterranean Area (BEMA) project (partially funded by the EC Environment 
& Climate programme 1994-98) was developed by El in collaboration with 17 European laboratories. Its 
main goal was to analyse the type and amount of emissions from Mediterranean vegetation and to 
understand their role in atmospheric chemistry and ozone formation. In preparation for the second phase 
(1996-97), the objective of which is to scale up biogenic emissions to regional levels and to evaluate their 
ozone forming potential, El structured its work at three levels: the parameterisation of vegetation 
emissions, the GIS-based scaling of experimental data, the chemical modelling of the ozone forming 
potential of biogenic emissions. 
The IGAC's Aerosol Characterisation Experiment (ACE-2) project, a major data acquisition campaign by 
land stations, ships and aeroplanes, is due to take place in 1997. 
El plays an international co-ordinating role in both the BEMA and ACE-2 projects. 
The novel aspects of the emission process at the leaf and canopy levels identified during the 1993-96 
campaigns in Italy, France and Spain were: the variability of biogenic emissions (diurnal, seasonal, intra-
species, inter-species) and the resulting limitations on algorithms now used for scaling-up; the reactivity of 
emitted compounds, related sampling problems, and the determination of emission fluxes. 
.i^j^i'i^l'IftAiyiiWAijJitV^.BiBWHff 
L EUROPEAN AUTO-OIL STWY 
The drat Buropoan Auto~Oit study w$$ oomptoteti in 1 $86 within m$ Hmowork of a co-operative 
programme between the European Commission (#6 tftt 00 Xl)t the European automobfb & off industries, 
and the environment mfâufa It was <fa$f$n$d to idontlfy m bast tmmm to introduoo from the y&ar 
2000 onf and to détermine the most cost^eïïeciive means of reaching alr<t\Mty objectives in &te year 
2010. Different predictive models, based on oxistmg air quality obfactiv&s and on the new WoM Health 
Organisation air quality guidelines for Burope, were used for estimating emission reductions for urban 
pollutants in soven repmentativa cHM (Athens, Ootogm4 the Hagmo, London, Lyomt Madrid and man). 
Emissions are expected to decline significantly as a result of measures already agreed in all seven cities. 
Benzene and carbon monoxide oormntmtiM* wfflprob&bly b& kotow tercet values. For nfàoçon dioxide, 
however, the mom stringent target value may stilt be exceeded, Forozorwf a regional model was used for 
a$$e$$in# th0 imp&ot ofpmrM poHol&s on ooncon^atkm *cro$& Bvrope. Mional 0mi$$ion* of ozone 
precursors am predicted to be reduced by #6 & 40 per cmt over the period IQQùîo 2Qi& 
'Vi<<i»'iffmiMV<muivrui;iN,^ 
For aquatic systems, the institute was particularly active in the study of the "red tides" in the 
Mediterranean sea (MITO - Microphyte Toxins project) and in a variety of water management, water 
quality and recovery projects such as AMAL - Advanced Mobile Analytical Laboratory, AQUACON -
Analytical Quality Control and SALMON - Satellite Remote Sensing for Lake Monitoring. 
Within the Life Sciences and Technologies programme, research was carried out on trace metals in 
human tissues (TERVIHT - Trace-Element Reference Values in Human Tissues, TRACY - a database on 
toxic metals in human tissues and fluids, and METOX - Metal Toxicity in humans, projects). 
Institutional Support Activities 
The Environment Institute was involved in requests from DG XI (Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil 
Protection), for the preparation and implementation of directives on atmospheric pollution, from DG III 
(Industry), DG VI (Agriculture), DG XXI (Customs and Indirect Taxation), and DG XXIV (Consumer 
Policy). These activities concerned food and drug/consumer protection, control of fraud, and the 
harmonisation of chemical and microbiological analytical methods concerning food, animal feed, 
cosmetics, and chemicals. 
The European Office for Wine, Alcohol and Spirit Drinks (BEVABS) and a telematic and informatic center 
devoted to medicinal products - ETOMEP (European Technical Office for Medicinal Products) were 
especially active in support activities for the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products 
(EMEA). 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
40 
El carried out work on Radioactivity Environmental Monitoring (REM), established after the Chernobyl 
accident. REM, ERLAP (European Reference Laboratory for Air Pollution) and the radioactivity release 
early warning system ECURIE (European Community Urgent Radiological Information Exchange) operate 
in support of DG XI. ERLAP organised, in October 1996, a workshop on Quality Assurance and 
Accreditation in the field of air quality, with the participation of air pollution laboratories in the Member 
States. 
The principles and the basic rules of functioning of the Alpine observatory were approved by the 
Conference of the Ministers of the Environment for the Alpine Convention. The JRC is the coordination 
body for the Alpine observatory. In 1996, El was involved in a series of pilot projects, such as an 
information system on alpine research, and the production of a set of socio-demographic indicators. 
In the field of institutional support to EC policies, the largest effort concerns chemicals, for DG XI. The 
European Chemicals Bureau (ECB) has five working groups which tackle different aspects of quality 
control, risk assessment, and testing methods, in order to implement EC directives on dangerous 
substances, import export, and existing chemicals. 
An important activity in the field of life sciences is that of the European Centre for the Validation of 
Alternative Test Methods (ECVAM), which aims to replace or reduce the use of animals in laboratory 
studies. The Centre also promotes a dialogue between legislators, industries, biomedical scientists, 
consumer organisations, and animal welfare groups, for the development, validation and international 
recognition of alternative test methods. A large exercise of validation was started in 1996 on alternative 
methods for testing skin corrosivity; it should be completed by mid 1997. 
B. Competitive Activities 
Shared-Cost Actions and other Competitive Activities 
The Food and Drug/Consumer protection unit was active in the following shared-cost actions: 
• Use of isotopic techniques for food analysis [network within the Measurements and Testing 
programme]. 
• Reference materials for authenticity proof of food and beverages. 
• Biomarker analysis (FAIR programme of DG XII). 
• Validation of analytical methods of determining the content of aflatoxins, ochratoxin and patulin in 
foodstuffs of vegetable origin. 
• Development and intercomparison of improved methods for the determination of fat soluble vitamins in 
food by replacing hazardous organic solvents with supercritically cold carbon dioxide. 
Competitive support to DG III (Industry), on the evaluation of analytical methods used to assess 
compliance with foodstuffs legislation on chocolate, honey, infant formulae, and intense sweeteners, and 
to DG XXI, for the detection of other cereals in glucose derived from maize, was also provided. 
Other Shared-Cost Actions awarded in 1996 within the Environment and Climate Programme were: 
• The SALMON Project (Satellite Remote Sensing for Lake Monitoring); 
• The EROS 21 Project on the interactions between the Danube, Dnestr and Dnjepr rivers and the north­
western Black Sea; 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
41 
• The OMEX Project, an integrated study of the physics, chemistry and biology of the continental shelf, 
and the Cuu Long project on the Mekong delta; 
• The FAME action (Fate and activity modelling of environmental pollutants using structure-activity 
relationships). 
Other important income sources were competitive El participation in EC structural funds projects, and the 
competitive support to EMEA and the pharmaceutical industry. In the field of consumer protection, the El 
provided competitive support in the field of food and drug analysis. 
The El also carried out research work under contract for the pharmaceutical industry and regional 
authorities. An important contract was signed with the Italian Ministry of Agriculture on forest degradation. 
2.6 THE SPACE APPLICATIONS INSTITUTE (SAI) 
The Space Applications Institute (SAI) is devoted to research and applications development using space 
systems. Formerly called the Institute for Remote Sensing Applications, SAI has expanded its applications 
base beyond earth observation to include satellite telecommunications and navigation systems in a 
synergy with remote sensing systems. 
Applications development has continued to focus on the framework programme line Environment and 
Climate, with actions such as the Centre for Earth Observation (CEO), natural resource monitoring, and 
advanced techniques for earth observation. 
The Institute continued to provide customer DG with important scientific support for the collection of 
agricultural statistics, and expanded these activities to neighbouring countries in Eastern Europe where 
environmental impacts were also closely examined. 
A. Institutional Activities 
Institutional Research Activities 
The exploitation of earth observation data for the mapping of land cover and land degradation in Europe 
and in the world remained one of SAI's important R&D fields. 
SAI continued to provide support for the Centre for Earth Observation (CEO), the overall objectives of 
which are to develop operational uses of earth observation data from space in support of customers and to 
stimulate EO service providers to provide customers with data and information derived from the data to 
meet their needs. Considerable effort has also been invested in several pilot projects such as agricultural 
production, European forestry, monitoring of European coastal zones, and creation of an atlas of major 
European urban areas, demonstrating the potential operational use of information derived from EO data. 
Other CEO initiatives focused on education and training, and on the determination of potential customers' 
information requirements in areas such as tourism, civil engineering, insurance, local government, and 
environmental protection. 
The European Goniometer was used to study the angular reflectance of vegetation: several hypotheses 
were tested, especially in a series of experiments simulating conditions typical of sub-arctic landscapes. 
This will support the development of a new algorithm and new applications. The Geophysical Processor 
has been further improved. Key applications are the measurement of forest heights, an improved 
discrimination of land use areas and the monitoring of landslide areas. 
Applications based on data from new ocean colour sensors are now being developed at the institute. To 
promote the use of new sensors, a European initiative has been developed for European waters, and work 
on sensor calibration and validation continues, in full collaboration with international and national space 
agencies. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
42 
Significant progress was made in the analysis of soil degradation in the Mediterranean region through 
advanced spectral analysis. Mapping was also a theme for the FIRS (Forest Information from Remote 
Sensing) project: a new initiative, where advanced methods for data and image analysis were applied to 
the study of urban areas. Portable satellite data receiving stations were used in Central Africa as a 
contribution to atmospheric research programmes on global change. A first wall-to-wall high resolution map 
was established, thanks to the European Remote Sensing Satellite ERS-1, for the entire central African 
tropical forest, where perpetual cloud cover makes mapping from optical satellite data nearly impossible. 
Work within the Environment and Climate research programme also dealt with forest fires, both in terms of 
global change and in the context of natural hazards. 
An overriding interest in the quality of human life - which drives the SAI's involvement in hazards study -
was also a major factor behind successful new work on the remote detection of antipersonnel land mines. 
A European R&D programme was prepared in support of the development of information and data fusion 
systems for humanitarian de-mining. 
THRBB* DIMENSIONAL APERTURE RADAR IMAGE OF A &MVCE TRBB 
A new method of identifying at a distance- various spades of confer trees, thanks to detailed 3D radar 
images, has been developed in 1996 in a joint endeavour of the Buropean Microwave Signature 
laboratory (EM$L) at $Af, and the Canadian Centra for Remote Sensing (OCRS). This involves a huge 
number of measurements in the BMSL, and comptex computer modelling to generate from them a final 
image, This work wm contribute to the Unified Buropean forest information System, by giving the scientific 
community a tool to critically assess forest models, 
Industrial applications in the European Microwave Signature Laboratory included work with the European 
automotive industry. Tests on 3 different realistic road asphalt targets under dry, wet and icy conditions 
showed considerable promise for the development of on-board "radar" systems for the car of the future. 
Institutional Support Activities 
The MARS-STAT activity (Monitoring of Agriculture with Remote Sensing) provided support to DG VI 
(Agriculture), EUROSTAT, and the Member States in the implementation of the regional crop acreage 
inventory activity, which is now fully operational and has been transferred back to the Member States. 
Support was also provided to DG VI in the form of rapid estimates of 1996 total crop acreage. MARS-
STAT activities now include production forecasts of major EU crops for all Member States, including the 
last three countries to join the Union. A prototype system for monitoring crop production in Central and 
Eastern Europe and the Maghreb region was also started. Finally, research focused on the use of 
synthetic aperture radar imagery for rapid crop production estimates. This method would offer many 
advantages because of the all-weather capabilities of radar. 
The MARS-CAP activity continued the remote sensing control of farmers' area declarations for aid. A cost-
efficiency study of these remote sensing controls was carried out, together with a quality control of the 
work contracted out by national administrations to private companies. Technical support and advice were 
provided on the implementation and possible improvements of the Integrated Agricultural Control System 
in the Member States. This activity was carried out in an almost direct interaction with the Member State 
administrations. 
SAI was involved in experiments on the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) for parcel area control. 
Support on the establishment, the updating and the possible redefinition of the vineyard and olive registers, 
in association with the new OCM (Organisation Commune du Marché), was provided to the Commission 
and the Member States. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
43 
Support to the European Environment Agency concentrated on developing the work of the Land Cover 
Topic Centre, in collaboration with various European organisations. 
B. Competitive Activities 
Shared-Cost Actions 
The Space Applications Institute submitted 19 proposals in a range of thematic areas including Agriculture, 
Telematics, and Environment and Climate, and enjoyed an extremely high rate of success, with 10 of the 
projects being funded. 8 out of these 10 focus on the marine environment. Projects cover fish resources, 
biological processes, pollution and coastal zone studies, and the geographical foci range from the 
Canaries to the Mediterranean, Baltic and Black Seas. 
Competitive Support for Community Policies 
SAI responded to open calls for tender from DGs. Of these, DG XIII (Telecommunications, Information 
Market and Exploitation of Research) awarded a contract for the dissemination of data to the European 
research community from SAI's European Microwave Signature Laboratory. DG XI (Environment, Nuclear 
Safety and Civil Protection) awarded a contract for the second phase of the operational tropical forest 
monitoring project started in 1995. This work will, on completion, provide an earth observation based 
system for tropical forest mapping, for the management of diverse tropical forest data sets and for the 
provision of an "alarm" system, pointing out areas of extreme deforestation. 
Research under Contract 
Nine contracts were carried out in 1996 for industrial, governmental and research organisations. These 
were all small pilot projects, related directly to the Institute's research programme. Examples include the 
use of EMSL by the automotive industry, and an extension of the remote sensing monitoring of agriculture 
project into non-European countries. 
Other Competitive Activities 
The MERA project (MARS and Environmental Related Applications) covering the 12 PHARE countries, 
entirely funded by DG la (External Affairs), went into full operation. The techniques developed for remote 
sensing agricultural production monitoring in the EU were transferred to neighbouring East European 
countries. There was also a strong emphasis on forest resource management and environmental impact 
assessment in these countries. The SAI's technical management role also included projects on the use of 
remote sensing for monitoring rice production in Indonesia and for coastal zone management in Thailand. 
In both cases, SAI provided DG lb with specific technical know-how which directly supports the customer 
DG's research and development programme. 
2.7 THE INSTITUTE FOR PROSPECTIVE TECHNOLOGICAL STUDIES (IPTS) 
The Institute for Prospective Technological Studies was created to observe all relevant, significant and 
outstanding scientific and technological events and trends in Europe, and to follow technological change in 
order to get a better understanding of the links between technology, the economy and society. Its activities 
contributed to the Framework Programme line, Targeted Socio-Economic Research. 
The Institute moved from Ispra to Seville in 1994; an operational work programme was agreed in 1995 and 
the Institute was restructured into two operational units: 
Technology Watch (TW): the aim of the TW structure is to detect, at an early stage, scientific 
breakthroughs, events and trends that might lead to technological innovation, and to alert EU decision 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
44 
makers to their implications and consequences, especially when there is a need for action at a 
European level. This unit co-ordinates the ESTO network. 
Technology, Employment, Competitiveness (TEC): this unit deals with economic sustainability issues 
in relation to the business practices of firms (competitiveness focus); economic and social 
sustainability issues in relation to work/wealth distribution (employment focus); the role of innovation in 
regional development and management resources (regional focus). 
A. Institutional Activities 
Institutional Research Activities 
THE BUROPEAN SCIBNCBAW TBGHNOLWY OBSERVATORY 
The European Science and Technology Observatory (BSTO) is a network of 15 European muMdlsciptmary 
organisations, whoso main task is to mtargo tik Hnowtetigo base on which Technology Watch is 
operating; it has an Executive GommHee* chaired by IFTS, which oversees the animation and 
management of the network-
The Institute also provides the necessary orientation in the various procedural phases, thus giving a 
European dimension to the results; assists in tha idantificatbn of the main fronds governing $/r 
developments and events; and ensures that all findings am subsequently translated into strategic terms 
and options to be presented in the most appropriate format to European decision makers. 
Tim ESTOls mission Is to collect and to process information at the Buropean level to support decision 
making and is complemented by specific-in-d&ptb prospective analyses aimed at shedding fight on the 
interface between scientific and technical aspectst on the one hand, and the economy and society, on the 
other 
The most important projects already accomplished or being undertaken are focused on the following fields: 
Technology Transfer and Advanced Materials; 
Nanotechnology: Innovation potential and societal aspects; 
Human Genome Analysis, Genetic Screening and Gene Therapy; 
Monitoring and Evaluating selected water-related technologies (eg."Desalination Technology"); 
Employment (e.g., "Industrial Clusters, Networks and Districts for Employment"); 
Assessment of C02- related technologies. 
The Institute provided Science and Technology background information to the Euro-Mediterranean 
Monitoring Committee (proposed by the Council and established in the framework of the Barcelona 
Conference in November 1995), thus stimulating S/T co-operation in the Mediterranean region. 
This work has been undertaken in close contact with the Commission services responsible for the 
implementation of the relevant R&D programmes (e.g., IMT, JOULE, BIOMED). 
In the field of regional development, the Institute produced a comparative study of several regions "The 
potentials of Science and Technology-Innovation for Regional Development". 
Institutional Support Activities 
A new agreement between IPTS and the Forward Studies Unit (FSU) of the Commission is now covering a 
variety of subjects related to the business environment, the definition of sustainability, the problem of 
accounting, and the global warming debate. 
Within the context of the work carried out for DG XVI (Regional Policies and Cohesion), the project "Water 
Management in the Mediterranean" examined not only the technological point of view, but also the various 
socio-economic, cultural, environmental and political factors conditioning both the need for water and the 
appropriateness of particular water management tools in the Mediterranean basin countries. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
45 
IPTS supported the European industrial policy under DG III (Industry). The Institute's competence in 
technology foresight-watch contributed to identifying key technological trends and to analysing the impact 
on industrial innovation in the following areas: 
Support to IRDAC (Industrial Research and Development Advisory Committee); 
Competitiveness and the organisational practices of firms (e.g., Agile enterprises); 
Systems of innovation and economic webs (e.g., cogeneration technology; Intellectual Property 
Rights); 
Industrial technologies' forecasting; 
Employment and Technology: being competitive in Europe; 
In the context of the preparatory phase for the implementation of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and 
Control (IPPC) Directive, the institute had carried out the first pilot project on Best Available Techniques 
(BAT), following the IPPC rules. Winthin the same framework, IPTS made an offer to DG XI (Environment, 
Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection) to establish a Bureau for European Integrated Pollution Prevention 
and Control, which will support the implementation of the Council Directive on this issue. 
Three prospective studies were developed for the Scientific and Technological Options Assessment 
(STOA) programme, covering common fields of interest such as: "Information society: competitivity and 
employment"; "The future of the car: individual mobility"; and "Trends in the pharmaceutical sector". 
Two other studies on Climate Change and Recycling were completed in 1996 for the Environment 
Committee. 
The Institute also organised a hearing for the European Parliament on "Research and Sustainable 
development" and a seminar on "European research in the perspective of the XXIst Century" with the 
intention of stimulating a debate on the orientations for the 5th Framework Programme. 
B. Competitive Activities 
Shared-Cost Actions 
The IPTS is at present running 8 shared-cost action projects: 4 concerning the energy sector, 3 
concentrating on different environmental issues, and one developed within the framework of regional 
development. 
All four energy projects were approved under the JOULE programme, and are focused on: 
Creation of a focal point of data on external costs of energy; 
Renewable energies from a regional perspective; 
Global Energy, Economy, Policies and C02 Emission Pathways - Energy-Economy-Environment 
quantitative analysis; 
Biomass studies. 
Two of the three environmental projects are in the field of sustainability: 
Green accounting: tools for assessing progress towards sustainable development. 
Technology's role in sustainable development. 
The third environmental project concerns: 
analysis and assessment of environmental policy instruments for the implementation of efficient ozone 
abatement strategies in the European context. 
Work under contract 
In the context of the development of the European strategy for waste management, IPTS has organised a 
review of various options for recycling plastics packaging waste, under a contract issued by the 
Association of Plastics Manufacturers in Europe (APME). 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
46 
The Institute has also concluded a project contracted with the Andalusian Energy Agency (SODEAN) on a 
"Technical-Juridical European Forum on Renewable Energy". The project was devoted to the organisation 
of a conference on the technical and legal barriers that renewable energies encounter upon their 
penetration into the energy market. 
JRC Annual Report 1996 
47 
Annex 
GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS 
BRITE 
CIEMAT 
ENEL 
ESPRIT 
GOZATOMNADZOR (GAN) 
IMT 
JOULE 
KROTOS 
MINATOM 
OECD-NEA 
PHARE 
PNC 
RESOLV 
SCK/CEN 
STARS 
TACIS Basic Research in Industrial Technologies for Europe 
Centra de Investigaciones Energeticas Medio-Ambientales y 
Tecnologicas, Madrid (E) 
Ente Nazionale per I'Energia Elettrica 
European Strategic Programme for Research and development in 
Information Technologies 
Russian Authority for nuclear security 
Industrial Materials and Technology 
Joint Opportunities for Unconventional or Long-Term Energy Supply 
Small Scale Steam Explosion Facility 
Ministry of Atomic Energy 
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development-Nuclear 
Energy Agency 
Poland-Hungary: Assistance for Economic Restructuring 
Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation 
Recontruction using Scanned Laser and Video 
Studiecentrumm voor Kernenergie/Centre d'Etudes Nucléaires 
(Mol - Belgium) 
Software Tool for the Analysis of Reliability and Safety 
Technical Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States 
and Georgia 
TEMPEST Thermal, Electromagnetic and Physical Equipment Stress Testing 

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