In 2007 ESTRO proposed a revision and harmonisation of the core curricula for radiation oncologists, medical physicists and RTTs to encourage harmonised education programmes for the professional disciplines, to facilitate mobility between EU member states, to reflect the rapid development of the professions and to secure the best evidence-based education across Europe. Working parties for each core curriculum were established and included a broad representation with geographic spread and different experience with education from the ESTRO Educational Committee, local representatives appointed by the National Societies and support from ESTRO staff. The revised curricula have been presented for the ESTRO community and endorsement is ongoing. All three curricula have been changed to competency based education and training, teaching methodology and assessment and include the recent introduction of the new dose planning and delivery techniques and the integration of drugs and radiation. The curricula can be downloaded at http://www.estro-education.org/europeantraining/Pages/EuropeanCurricula.aspx. The main objective of the ESTRO core curricula is to update and harmonise training of the radiation oncologists, medical physicists and RTTs in Europe. It is recommended that the authorities in charge of the respective training programmes throughout Europe harmonise their own curricula according to the common framework.

The thermoluminescence efficiency, ?, of LiF:Mg,Cu,P (MCP-N detectors, commercially produced at the INP, Krakow, Poland), relative to 662 keV ¹³⁷Cs gamma rays, has been measured for (i) 1250 keV ⁶⁰Co gamma rays, (ii) filtered X ray beams of average energies in the range 15-300 kV_p, (iii) ¹⁴⁷Pm beta electrons, (iv) thermal neutrons and (v) stopping alpha particles of initial energies in the range 0.5-5 MeV. A rapid decrease of TL efficiency with decreasing mean photon energy from ? = 1.04 ± 0.02 for ⁶⁰Co, ? = 0.93 ± 0.02 for 300 kV_p X rays to ? 0.59 ± 0.016 for 15 kV_p X rays was observed. The measured value of relative efficiency for ¹⁴⁷Pm beta electrons was ? = 0.90 ± 0.02. The relative efficiency for alpha particles decreased from ? = 0.06 ± 0.004 to ? = 0.03 ± 0.007 for particles of initial energies of 5 MeV and 1 MeV, respectively. The measured response of MCP-N detectors after doses of thermal neutrons was equal to 0.72 x 10¹⁰ Gy.n^-1.cm², which corresponds to ? = 0.10 ± 0.01. The efficiency for 2.73 MeV 3H tritons was found to be ? = 0.155 ± 0.02. The rapid decrease of sensitivity of LiF:Mg,Cu,P with increasing ionisation density is a microdosimetric effect, resulting from the saturation of the TL signal from high energy deposits. An empirical relationship between the mean lineal energy, y_F, and ? has been found which can be used to predict the TL efficiency of MCP detectors for photons and electrons. However, TL efficiency ? is not a unique function of y_F so this relationship cannot be used to predict the value of ? over the whole range of ionisation densities (LET) of heavy charged particles stopping in the detector.