The IAEA notes that quality assurance (QA) programs have made an impact on improving x-ray image quality and reducing radiation dose, but many regions of the world do not have access to adequately trained medical physicists to perform QA functions.

IAEA believes that software could help meet the demand for QA testing in radiography and mammography by helping evaluate data from imaging of phantoms that can be built using low-cost materials at local sites. To evaluate the technique, IAEA is launching a coordinated research project to investigate whether the agency's methodology can be implemented in clinical practice at various radiology centers around the world.

The agency is accepting proposals for research grants on the project, with a deadline of March 2021. More details are available on the group's website.