A new Horizon 2020 Project “NANORIGO: NANOtechnology RIsk Governance” officially launched during its kick-off meeting which was held on the 7th – 8th of February 2019 at Moesgaard Museum in Aarhus, Denmark.
The 4-year long, €4.7 million project is coordinated by Aarhus University from Denmark and received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under the Grant Agreement nº 814530. NANORIGO project aims to develop and implement a transparent, transdisciplinary and active Risk Governance Framework (RGF) and establish the basis a related Council (RGC) for manufactured nanomaterials and nano-enabled products.
The RGF will be developed through engagement with stakeholders across research, industry, regulation and civil society, and will be based on high-quality scientific data and tools for the physicochemical characterization of nanomaterials, and the assessment of exposure, hazard and risk for humans and the environment.
The two-days meeting discussed in details each of the Work Package within the project, dissemination exploitation, and collaboration with other projects (including other governance projects), and implemented breakout group sessions for interrelated Work Packages.
The project will be started with an in-depth research on of risk management approach for nanotechnology; to integrate available knowledge on ethical, social, environmental and economic concerns into a user-friendly format that can be easily adapted and transferred into regulation for hazard, exposure and risk assessment and management of nanomaterials.
The expected results of NANORIGO project are the following:
- A transparent, self-sustained and science-based Risk Governance Council;
- Transparent Risk Governance Framework (RGF) tools for managing possible nanotechnologies risks;
- Availability of high quality data for decision making;
- Consistency of approaches in all EU Member States and internationally.
The partnership of NANORIGO is involving 28 partners from 14 different European countries and a global advisory board. The partnership consists of the following organisations: Aarhus University (DK – Coordinator), Environmental Assessments (DE), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH), Tyoterveyslaitos (FI), Eidgenössischer Materialprüfungs- und forschungsanstalt (CH), Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung (DE), Instituto tecnológico del tmbalaje, transporte y logística (ES), ‘Fraunhofer Society; Institute for Molecular Biology & Applied Ecology’ (DE), Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (DE), National Technical University of Athens (EL), Paris-Lodron-Universität Salzburg (AT), University of Bremen (DE), Universität für Bodenkultur Wien (AT), University of Aveiro (PT), Univerza v Ljubljani (SI), Transgero Ltd. (IE), Onderzoek en Adviesgroep Questions (NL), ‘Answers and More BV: Bureau KLB’ (NL), De Proeffabriek – Schuurbiers Daniel (NL), Engineering, Technical & Scientific Services (CH), ‘Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology e.V – DECHEMA’ (DE), Optimat Ltd (UK), Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovação (PT), Fundación Gaiker (ES), Grupo Antolin Ingeniería (ES), ‘Oeko-Institut e.V. Institute for Applied Ecology (DE), European Environmental Citizen Organisations for Standardisation – ECOS (BE), Quercus ANCN (PT), and Women Engage for a Common Future France – WECF (FR).
The NANORIGO consortium will work closely with the two other projects funded under the NMBP-13-2018 call: RiskGONE (https://riskgone.eu/) and Gov4Nano (https://www.gov4nano.eu/), to ensure a sustainable and equitable RGF and NRGC is developed for all.
