Today, the Federal Environment Ministry will present the intermediate results of the EU NANoREG project (Regulatory Testing of Nanomaterials) to a wide selection of participants from industry, research, associations and authorities, thus delivering a mid-term review of the project which was initiated by the Netherlands and Germany in 2013. The NANoREG project has enabled the EU Commission to focus not only on innovation research but also on regulatory development in relation to the responsible use of nanomaterials. The results of the NANoREG project, in which 63 partners from 14 countries are participating, will form the basis for recommendations for regulation.
Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks commented: "We support the sustainable development of nanotechnologies. In discussing the outcomes with project participants, we hope to provide further impetus for the safe manufacture, use and application of nanomaterials. We also believe that this will enable us to build bridges between industry, research, consumers and authorities. However, this needs to be flanked by a prompt submission of a concrete proposal by the EU Commission on the urgently needed modification of the REACH regulation to include nanomaterials."
The main objectives of the NANoREG project are: Evaluation of data from ongoing and completed projects at national and international level with a view to taking stock of risk assessment. Analysis of existing results and identification of further research is needed to bridge the knowledge gap on the dangers of nanomaterials to humans and the environment and thus support safe nanomaterial innovations. An important step in this regard is the Safe-by-Design approach developed for businesses. Safe-by-Design is a complex and as yet undefined concept that is being discussed from all angles and standpoints.
The public event takes place on 10 and 11 November in the Berlin office of the Federal Environment Ministry and will be introduced with a presentation on the research results by Professor Tim Liedl of the Maximilian-Universität Munich. One of the focuses of his work is the application of the DNA-origami method to construct nanostructures. In a similar way to the Japanese art of paper folding, this method uses DNA components to build complex three dimensional structures that were previously impossible to construct.
Whether or not this method will influence and steer developments in material research in a new direction in the future is a topic that will be discussed at the event along with the first results and future strategies of the NANoREG project.