Nanodevice, ETPIS & Nanofutures with the support of CEN TC 352 organise a workshop to investigate the possible synergies and opportunities from on-going projects for standardization activities in the field of nanosafety.
Nanodevice, the European Technology Platform of Industrial Safety (ETPIS), Nanofutures and several other initiatives such as Nanosafe, Saphir… have similar objectives on the improvement of the management of the risks related to nanoparticles and the sharing of best practices using standardization.
The standardization appears to be a key valorization and output of collaborative research, especially of the research performed on emerging technologies. It enables to share knowledge and good practices in an effective way, in particular giving the access of the information to SMEs and contributing to effective, clear and transparent governance. CEN has launched the STAIR initiative (An Integrated Approach for Standardization, Innovation and Research) that is encouraged to be applied to research projects dealing with emerging technologies.
Regarding nanotechnologies CEN has started standardization work on (i) classification, terminology and nomenclature (ii) metrology, measurement and characterization (including procedures for calibration), (iii) health, safety and environmental issues; and (iv) nanotechnology products and processes.
Recently, CEN accepted a mandate M/461 requesting to develop the standardization deliverables listed in its Annex I - Characterization of and exposure from nanomaterials and Annex II - Health, Safety, and Environment of the mandate. The CEN/TC 352 Nanotechnologies was asked to take care of this mandate which recommends that the work to be performed should take into account on-going pre-normative R&D.
Conscious of the needs and the opportunities for the European innovative industry, a group of persons, coming from Nanodevice, ETPIS & Nanofutures, have decided to start an initiative aiming at capitalizing the results from several European and national projects into standardization documents, and providing proposals to address the mandate M/461. This group, with the support of CEN TC 352, invites other experts to join the workshop on September 14 to investigate the possible synergies and opportunities from on-going projects for standardization activities in the field of nanosafety.