Laboratory for Measurements of Low-Level Radioactivity

1

Laboratory for Measurements of Low-level Radioactivity

Business Plan (drafted by B.Obelić, 14.11.2002)

Structure, as proposed by WB and Institute Director

Part 1

Introduction

Legislative surrounding

Economical surrounding

Vision

Mission

RBI mission, activities & plan

a) fundamental research

b) education

c) technology development and support

d) services

e) associated companies

Objectives

Outline strategy

Part 2

Assumptions

Background

Current situation

SWOT and PEST analysis

Marketing plan

Current industrial situation (structure, strengths/weaknesses, needs, opportunities)

Market segmentation and Market analysis

Products and services to be offered

projected demand

competition analysis

marketing strategies

procedures – commercial

promotion plan

channels of distribution

competence building

organization

Resource requirements

HR plan

Facilities plan

Business process improvements

Governance

Organizational plan

Financial plan

Assumptions

Income and expenditure projections

Cash Flow projections

Investment requirements and analysis

Sensitivity analysis

Performance ratios

Action plan

Vision

To become a leading laboratory for research and measurements of environmental isotopes 3H, 14C and stable isotopes of hydrogen, oxygen and carbon in Croatia and SE Europe, expanding its activity to advanced techniques.

Mission

Research, postgraduate education, application and performing of services in the field of environmental isotopes (carbon, hydrogen and oxygen) following the highest international standards and achieving the results on the best quality level. Laboratory will satisfy the high requests of users and improve continuously the measurement methods and quality of services to the benefit of academic and business subjects.

Objectives

1. Research:
2. Investigation of karst phenomena (carbonate precipitation, carbon cycle in nature, exchange between precipitation, surface and groundwater)
3. Tritium and stable isotopes (2H, 18O) distribution in atmosphere and 14C in atmospheric CO2;
4. study of eutrofication process by isotopic methods;
5. dating of important archaeological sites of South-eastern Europe;
6. paleoclimatological investigation (emphasis to sea level change in Holocene);
7. study of interaction of electrons with matter;
8. formation of centre of excellence for environmental isotope measurement.
9. Development of new measurement techniques:

• To establish the technique of 14C activity measurement by Liquid Scintillation Counter (LSC) (direct absorption and benzene methods) (2003-2004);
• To construct the graphitization line for accelerator mass spectroscopy (AMS) 14C measurements (2005-2006);
• To establish the 3H enrichment method for measurement of water samples by LSC (2007-2008);
• To install the mass spectrometer for measurements of stable isotope ratios (2H/1H, 18O/16O, 13C/12C) (2009-2010).
• To obtain ISO 17025 certification for 14C and 3H measurements

1. Increase the percentage of annual income from:

• services of 3H and 14C measurements for various mainly Croatian institutions (museums, institutes for preservation of culture monuments, water resource authorities, geological institutes etc.);
• participation in projects on preservation of environment in Croatia.
• contracting international agencies and boards (IAEA, European Commission, World Bank);
• bilateral contracts with foreign institutions.

Background

Laboratory for Measurement of Low-level Radioactivity exists as Radiocarbon Laboratory since 1969, when the system for 14C measurement by gas proportional counter was constructed. Since 1975 also low-level tritium radioactivity can be measured. More than 3500 14C and 3000 3H samples, mainly for external customers, were analyzed. Scientific research has been performed in karst ecology, calcite precipitation in nature waters, geochronology, paleoclimatology, hydrology, archaeology, development of instrumentation, as well as physics of ionized gases. The members of Laboratory participated in several projects contracted with National Science Foundation in USA (4), IAEA (7), national parks Plitvice and Krka, three bilateral projects with Slovenia and co-operation with several institutions in Germany, Hungary, Spain and Switzerland. Within the frame of TC project with IAEA on nuclear spectroscopy techniques and ion beam analysis in environmental and industrial applications LSC model Quantulus 1220 was obtained in 2001. Laboratory participated in several international radiocarbon and tritium intercomparisons studies.

More than 360 articles dealing with problematic of measurement and use of natural isotopes and physics of ionized gases were published during last 30 years, 80 of them in CC Journals (12 CC papers in last 5 years).. Co-operation with many internationally recognized laboratories and scientists and contacts with various professionals who used 14C and 3H analyses, enabled the laboratory staff to work at the highest international level and to grow familiar with interdisciplinar research. In 1988 the XIII International Radiocarbon Conference was organized in Dubrovnik by our Laboratory. Laboratory staff participated in education (M.Sc. and Ph.D. thesis) and popularization of knowledge. The intellectual contribution of mentioned investigations is in processing of obtained data and interpretation of results resulting in publications in national or international journals.

Current situation

Activities of the Laboratory have been expanded to the following problematic:

-Implementation of alpha spectrometry method for 230Th/234U dating;

-Implementation of liquid scintillation technique to 14C activity measurements by means of preparation of benzene and direct absorption method;

-Implementation of LSC technique to measurements of 3H activity higher than 1 Bq/L;

-Expanding of paleoclimatologic investigations by means of isotope techniques into the study of sea-level change of Adriatic Sea;

-Study of eutrofication process in karst area;

-Study of electron interaction with matter expanded to elastic scattering.

Laboratory has on its disposal following equipment:

• Vacuum lines for chemical preparation of 14C and 3H samples
• Two gas proportional counters for measurement of 14C and 3H activity
• Alpha spectrometry system for 230Th/234U method
• Quantulus 1220 ultra low-level liquid scintillation counter
• 4 PC-s in LAN, 2 PC-s on-line measurements

Laboratory staff consists of 3 researchers, one research student and one technician.

SWOT and PEST analysis

SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats):

Strength of the Laboratory is in well-educated and specialized staff, most probably the only specialists in Croatia dealing with natural isotopes and their use in archaeology, geology, hydrology and environmental sciences. At the same time the weakness is in relatively unfavorable age structure (average 50 yrs) and the fact that it is almost impossible to attract young graduate students willing to work in this specific interdisciplinary field, who at the same time satisfy the demands of the Ministry of Science. Recent purchase of Quantulus LSC we see as the opportunity to expand our activities to new techniques and to make us more competitive in contracting with national and international subjects. Threats are in taking over too many duties (contracts, analyses, ….) which cannot be solved by limited laboratory capacities.

PEST (Political/legal, Economic, Social and Technological factors)

Besides the overall factors that influence the RTD sector in Croatia, important problems in connection with application of science to the benefit of the society are the high taxes imposed to the incomes coming outside the budgetary support (Ministry of Science and Technology). Next to the high tax rate on the state level (22% VAT) there is an additional tax on the level of the Institute (30%), so only 48% of the incomes actually remains to the laboratories where the research and/or services are performed. This limited funds should be often spent for necessary chemicals, spare parts and in many cases to purchase of the new equipment necessary for further activities in order to stay more competitive on the market. If, in rare cases, part of the earned money remains to the laboratory, it cannot be distributed among the personnel adequately to the efforts and participation in work performed due to some rules that limit the percentage of the salary coming from these sources with the salary based on budgetary support. All these factors act destimulatory to the research and services that should be done for outer customers.

Marketing plan

Market segmentation

Customers are divided in two main sectors: [1] scientific and cultural institutions (faculties, museums, institutes for preservation of monuments) and [2] companies that need some isotope analyses in order to complete their knowledge obtained by other hydrologic, geologic and geochemical information.

The first group (which is the majority at present) belongs to tertiary sector and depends on funds created by primary and secondary sector in the country. Therefore it is not realistic to expect a greater increase of demands for analyses from this sector unless the economical situation in the country improves, because they are more or less directly paid from budget funds. Recently an increase of demands has come because of intensification of highway construction in the country and the investors are obliged to finance archaeological prospectings on the projected routes by law, which implies also radiocarbon dating of found artifacts. However, the number of orders for this reasons increased more from Slovenian archaeologists than from Croatian.

The second group consists mainly from institutes that make field research on economical basis. The limited demand from this sector can be explained for two reasons: (a) they often do not anticipate additional analyses (including isotope) in their estimation in order to offer lower prices to the investors and later on they do not want to distribute the money with other institutions and (b) they would like to obtain complete analyses from one place and we can offer analyses and interpretation only for 14C and 3H isotopes.

In the forthcoming period more attention will be paid to advertisements (web pages, printed material), contacts with potential customers and presentation of our possibilities at national and international congresses. An attempt to extent our activities to measurement of stable isotope (2H, 13C, 18O) should also attract more customers.

Projecting demand

• We expect increased demand for high-precision 14C dating of small samples (therefore we plan sample preparation for AMS);
• We expect that demand for low-concentration 3H will increase in hydrogeological applications (therefore we plan electrolytic enrichment);
• We expect increased demand for a "package of isotopic analyses" including both radioactive and stable isotopes (14C, 3H, and ratios 2H/1H, 13C/12C, 18O/16O) (therefore we plan mass spectroscopy).

Competition analysis

We are the only laboratory capable to measure low concentrations of 3H (<1Bq/L) and 14C (<0.2Bq/g C) in Croatia and neighboring countries. By using LSC technique we can increase our competitiveness to higher 3H and 14C concentrations, as well as to higher-precision dating and cheaper measurements. The planned extensions will improve our product/services also to the area of 14C dating of small samples (mg sized) and very low 3H concentrations, as well as to enable us to offer a "complete environmental isotope package".

Competence building

Our experience in international co-operation and successful participation in international intercomparison studies and proficiency tests can justify our competence in isotope studies. All our activities are directed toward establishment of a centre of excellence for environmental isotopes, where we would be able to interconnect fundamental research with application of isotope in various fields and complete isotope service. In this sense we expressed our interest to participate in an EC project called "RENIMEST" (Regional Network of Isotope Methods for Environmental Studies) which was proposed by the Silesian University of Technology (Poland) within the Framework 6.

Resource Requirements

HR Plan (Human Resources)

One of the problems is the bad personnel structure in the Laboratory: 3 scientists are almost in the highest degrees, and there is only one young scientist. Therefore we plan to employ 1 young scientist in the next 2 years and one more till 2008 (B.Sc.). They will be trained in the Laboratory.

Facilities Plan

-Completing the chemical preparation line for synthesis of benzene, which will be used for radiocarbon activity measurements by LSC Quantulus 1220;

-The measurement system will be computerized and on-line connected;

-Construction of the rig for preparation of pure graphite and establishment of closer contacts with some internationally recognized AMS laboratories.

-Construction of the system for tritium electrolytic enrichment in water samples;

-Purchase of mass spectrometer for measurements of ratios 2H/1H, 13C/12C, 18O/16O.

Expanding of activities will require additional space, at least one room for young scientists and special room for mass spectrometer and electrolytic enrichment.

Business process improvements

Installation of new equipment and expanding of activities should not affect the scientific output of the staff. Job and task description will be adapted to individual skills of the personnel and better organization of work process will be made. Measurement equipment, dislocated from main laboratory rooms in a cellar, will be on-line connected in LAN and data processing from newly purchased equipment will be computerized in order to save the time.

Organizational plan

Organizational structure, functions and key tasks are described in technical documents of the Laboratory, which are constitutive part of the Quality Assurance Manual. Updates will be made according to the changes in equipment or in case of obtaining of larger contracts. Part of MIS (Management Information System) will be entrusted to Institute administration, while the head of the Laboratory will take care on proposals, contracts, customers and financial situation.

Quality plan

There exists the draft of Quality Assurance Manual in the Laboratory based on ISO/IEC FDIS 17025 norm, precisely on Croatian norm HRN ISO/IEC 17025:2000 issued by the State Office for Standardization and Metrology. The elaboration of new Institute QAM is in course, and the final version of laboratory QAM will be harmonized with Institute QAM. New techniques will be included into QAM too. After elaboration of Business plan estimation of cost-benefit for eventual accreditation process will be performed.

Financial plan

Income and expenditure projections

During last several years incomes in the Laboratory from various customers (14C and 3H analyses) were of the same order of magnitude as the incomes from Ministry of Science and Technology dedicated to material expenditures (ca 10000 US$ yearly). Additionally, from contracts with international organizations, precisely IAEA, we earned 5000 US$ and from bilateral Croatian-Slovenian contracts 2500 US$. The purchase of LSC by IAEA in 2001 (ca 70000 US$) is an exception.

For the next two years we plan to increase incomes from analyses by 30% taking into account expanding of activity with the new LSC. Negotiations of a contract with European Commission (FW V, Copernicus 2) just have finished, so we hope for additional 30000 US$ yearly, as well as 5000 US$ more from contracts with IAEA. Increased incomes will be spent mainly for putting into operation of new equipment, consumables and chemicals and fieldwork.

Action plan

WHO, WHAT, WHEN

Milestones:

2002 / 2003 / 2004 / 2005 / 2006 / 2007 / 2008 / 2009 / 2010
Measurement of 14C and 3H activity by proportional counter method / X / X / X / X / X / X / X / X / X
Test measurements of benzene samples in LSC / X
CO2 absorption method – installation & routine measurements / X / X / X / X / X / X / X / X / X
Construction of benzene preparation rig / X / X
Routine measurements – benzene method / X / X / X / X / X / X / X / X
On-line connection of measurements / X
Graphitization line for AMS measurements / X
Installation of 3H samples enrichment method / X
Installation of mass spectrometer for stable isotopes / X

Deliveries

• Contribution to economy: co-operation with water resource management;
• Contribution to culture: co-operation with museums and institutes for preservation of culture monuments
• Contribution to environmental protection: co-operation with Meteorological and Hydrological Service of Croatia and national parks.

Accountability

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