Coordination of EU and international efforts in safety of nanotechnology

Specific challenge: The development of a novel safety culture for the nanomaterial research and engineering community, and the industry producing engineered nanomaterials and nano-enabled products is a significant challenge in the coming years. Incorporating the safety-by-design as an integral part of the core research activities of nano material sciences and the production of these materials and products would be a major step forward in assuring nanosafety. Such activities are currently on going in the EU and several other industrialised countries in a rather fragmented manner, necessitating specifically oriented action beyond the efforts foreseen in the context of individual projects. The increasing efforts of emerging economies and emerging science countries should also be integrated with the leading actors in the area of nanosafety.

Scope:

The main aim is to bring together EU Member and Associated states and international efforts for risk assessment, management and governance by streamlining data acquisition, collection and management on regulatory oriented toxicology testing of nanomaterial, exposure monitoring, LCA, and disposal and treatment of waste nanomaterials. The coordination may focus on one or more of the following tracks:

• Coordination of EU and international efforts in support of regulation, in  particular within the context of NANOREG and NANOREG II, which is a major undertaking jointly funded by FP7, EU Member States, FP7 Associated States and industry, and of the work carried out by OECD-WPMN and standardisation bodies such as ISO or CEN;
• Expanding the international dimension of EU nano-safety research e.g. through networking of researchers, twinning of projects or creation of Communities of Research with the objective of sharing of best practises and harmonising test methods.
•  Widening the coordination of MS, AS and regional R&D efforts aimed at management of nano-related risks with the objective of pooling resources for a transnational programme of nano-safety research along the lines of the nanosafety cluster Strategic Research Agenda 2015-2020.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU between EUR 2 and 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected impact:

• By exploiting synergies with, mainly national European but also world-wide, activities aiming at support to regulation, the project should lead to joint projects, twinned projects and global networks facilitating the goal of risk management and incorporating risk assessment in the early stages of product or process design

• The project should combine efforts with those of the Nanoreg project so that the expected datasets from the latter be complemented and cross validated with similar datasets from other projects running globally in order to reach OECD - MAD (Mutually Accepted Data) status identifying and brushing-out any inconsistencies.

• The impact of the NANOREG initiative, in establishing a seamless cooperation between industry, including risk engineering, and authorities, should be enhanced and expanded to include global market leaders.

• The project is expected to promote standardisation at international level.

Type of action: Coordination and Support Actions