Turkey to build proton-accelerator facility

A proton-accelerator facility will be built in Turkey to do scientific research similar to that undertaken at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, in Switzerland. The Turkish Housing Development Administration (TOKI) will lead the process of building the facility and will begin receiving proposals for the construction next month. The facility, to be built at the Nuclear Research and Training Center of the Turkish Atomic Energy Agency (TAEK) in Ankara, is expected to become operational within two years. Radioisotopes used in the diagnosis of many diseases, including cancer, will be produced at the facility, which will also produce radiopharmaceutical isotopes used as a therapeutic substance. To date Turkey has imported both types of isotopes from various countries, but TAEK aims to eventually export from the new facility. Devices to be used in the facility’s laboratories, which cost approximately 11.6 million euros, will begin to be delivered next year.