EU project Nanoreg II (completed)
In August 2016, SCAHT was accepted as an additional partner to an EU Horizon 2020 project to complement and strengthen the competencies of the multidisciplinary consortium NanoReg II. In NanoReg II, 43 organisations across more than 15 countries are working together for 3 years to create principles that will support the modification of existing safety regulation of nanomaterials. The project aims at developing strategies to better cope with nano-specific safety issues and to enable a more efficient risk assessment process through grouping and integrated testing strategies.
Rationale and objectives
One of the greatest challenges in the changing nanomaterial landscape is how to deal with a rapidly diversifying system of manufactured nanomaterials (MNM) with respect to environmental and health safety assessments. NanoReg II will meet this challenge by establishing Safe by Design (SbD) as a fundamental pillar in the discovery, screening and commercialisation of novel nanomaterials and nano-enabled products. The project will achieve this by establishing a grouping strategy and an associated integrated testing strategy to support grouping. The project will be supported by industrial case studies that implement a safe innovation approach.
The Safe by Design concept
The Safe by Design concept aims at reducing potential health and environmental risks at an early phase of the innovation process, using an integrated research strategy. This enables the consideration of safety aspects for humans and the environment early in the design process of a product/material, to eliminate or minimise the risk of adverse effects during its life cycle. Within the Safe by Design concept, the functionality of a nanomaterial and its safety are therefore considered in an integrated way. Such an approach maximises resource use and expedites the development of products containing nanomaterials and new nanomaterials that are safer by design.
Funding of the project
SCAHT is supported with funding by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) to participate in the NanoReg II project under contract no. 15.0200-3. Overall NanoReg II receives 10 M€ in funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program under grant agreement 646221.