Objective Aquatic ecosystems are threatened by multiple environmental stressors including pollutants and climate change. Considerable progress has been made in understanding the environmental impact of many stressors in recent years, yet new, potentially powerful, toxicants such as engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) continue to emerge in aquatic systems and their effects on these ecosystems remain poorly understood. The release of ENPs into the environment is accelerating , and as the global climate warms, the combined effects of both stressors (ENP + temperature increase) could have significant consequences for aquatic life. As a major step into understanding the climate change-enhanced environmental impacts of ENPs in aquatic ecosystems, we focus on the responses of fluvial biofilms -microbial consortia that drive aquatic primary production and respiration and thus, control nutrient conditions - as key points of ENP entry in to aquatic food webs. The central goal of NanoTOX is to elucidate how much river warming will affect fluvial biofilms at genetic, metabolic/functional and structural levels, and how the presence of environmental concentrations of ENPs may further stress the communities. The combination of multiple stressors (increased temperature and ENP) is expected to have a profound influence on the fluvial biofilms performance. This objective will be achieved through an innovative, interdisciplinary approach using an array of methods from the fields of ecotoxicology (ecology and toxics), molecular, functional ecology and nanotechnology will be applied. The proposed interdisciplinary study is a major first step in opening a new research field focussing specifically on biofilms as entry points to the food web and assessing ENP impacts under future climate scenarios. NanoTOX project results therefore will provide valuable information to underpin current updates to European legislation, ENP industry and will address social challenges. Fields of science natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrytransition metalsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystemsnatural sciencesearth and related environmental scienceshydrologylimnologynatural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changesnatural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteinsenzymes Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2015-EF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF-EF) Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2015 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF Coordinator THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM Net EU contribution € 183 454,80 Address Edgbaston B15 2TT Birmingham United Kingdom See on map Region West Midlands (England) West Midlands Birmingham Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 183 454,80