The National Academies will appoint an ad hoc committee of experts that will examine opportunities and challenges in the United States for expanded use of electron-beam (e-beam) technologies in commercial scale irradiation applications, including sterilization of medical equipment and food irradiation. The study will:

1. Assess the lifecycle benefits and challenges of e-beam technologies compared to other commercial sterilization and irradiation technologies.
2. Identify potential new or additional applications for e-beam technologies.
3. Identify key scientific and technological advances that could increase the reliability and effectiveness of e-beam technologies for various irradiation applications.
4. Using several case studies of public-private partnerships that have driven investment and innovation for new and existing technologies in the United States, (a) develop a set of priority research needs from among those identified in (3) that could be targeted for support by the U.S. government and (b) discuss the challenges and opportunities to transition the results of laboratory-scale research and development of e-beam technologies into commercial applications.

To the degree possible with existing and publicly obtainable data, include descriptions of the costs of existing or potentially new technology options.
The National Academies will issue a public report at the conclusion of the study.