  The development of instrumentation to be operated in high-radiation
environments is one of the main challenges in fundamental research. Besides
space and nuclear applications, particle physics experiments also need
radiation-hard devices. The focus of this paper is a new irradiation facility
based on the medical cyclotron located at the Bern University Hospital
(Insespital), which is used as a controlled 18 MeV proton source. The
adjustable beam current allows for dose rate dependent characterisation over a
large dynamic range, from 0.1 to 1000 Grad per hour. The beam can be tuned so
that the user can obtain the desired irradiation conditions. A complete study
of the device under irradiation is possible thanks to dedicated beam monitoring
systems as well as a power control system for the device under irradiation,
which can be operated on-line. Further characterisations of the irradiated
devices are possible thanks to a laboratory equipped with gamma spectroscopy
detectors, ammeters and transient current technique setups.
