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FP7 tailored for sustainability

Nanoscience, Nanotechnologies, Materials and New Production Technologies

• generation of knowledge on these technologies and their interactions with the environment;
• development of "intelligent" materials and reduction of materials use in production;
• development of specific nanotechnologies and new materials for use in water treatment or for energy and transport applications;
• development of new production concepts that minimize resource use (including energy) or that facilitate recycling;
• development of biosensors for environmental applications;
• Life Cycle Assessment of the potential health, safety, and environmental risks associated with nanotechnology-based materials and their processing, and with chemicals processing;
• support to the identification of best practice and regulatory codes in the production, handling and use of potentially hazardous new materials and chemicals, including nano-materials.

Sustainability in NMP is embedded in the vision for technological and industrial competitiveness of Europe, and more specifically in the strategic vision elaborated by no less than ten European Technology Platforms in various NMP areas.

The FP7 homepage for NMP research provides more information on research funded under this Theme.

For the first year of implementation (2007), a research budget of 381 million EUR has been called for in this Theme. The following tables show the links between the topics and the sustainable development objectives.

This chapter of the Vision papers [ 196 Kb] describes the articulation between NMP research and sustainable development challenges.

To see examples of previous NMP-related research visit this FP6 NMP page.

Policy Context for the NMP Theme

The following policy initiatives highlight the need for environmental research in Nanotechnologies, New Materials and Production:

• The European Strategy for Nanotechnology and the Nanotechnology Action Plan
• Commission Communication: Stimulating technologies for sustainable development: an environmental technologies action plan for the European Union [ 134 Kb]

Events

• NEXT Generation Production Systems' Conference: How to exploit innovative technologies and business practices?
• ManuFuture conference 2006: Implementing the ManuFuture strategy - Tampere, Finland, 9-10 October 2006. It marked the transition from planning to practical implementation of the ManuFuture Strategic Research Agenda, setting out the measures considered necessary to secure a competitive and sustainable future for manufacturing in the EU.
• Proceedings of the Workshop on Nanotechnology and Life Cycle Assessment [ 215 Kb]. A systems Approach to Nanotechnology and the Environment (Washington, DC, 2-3 October 2006).
• EU and Asia take clean technologies forward - 21/02/2005
  At the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit in Vietnam in 2004, the Heads of States adopted nine initiatives to promote co-operation in various fields of common interest. Science and technology co-operation on ‘clean technologies’ is one of these initiatives, which was launched at an ASEM workshop hosted by the Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology, in the capital Hanoi on 3-4 November 2004.
• Commission launches MANUFUTURE Platform - 15/12/2004
  On December 7, Achilleas Mitsos, EC Director General Research, announced the launch of the MANUFUTURE Platform to an invited audience of industrialists, academics and policy-makers at the MANUFUTURE 2004 conference in Enschede, The Netherlands.
• Technology platform offers new dynamism for European steel - 22/03/2004
  The European Commission and steelmakers’ federation EUROFER have launched a technology platform boosting research and innovation in the European steel industry to meet global competitiveness and environmental challenges.

Publications

• The appropriateness of the risk assessment methodology in accordance with the Technical Guidance Documents for new and existing substances for assessing the risks of nanomaterial: Public consultation on SCENIHR Opinion. 2007
• European Steel Strategic Research Agenda (April 2005) - full text [ 1,1 Mb]; summary [ 531 Kb]. Prepared by ESTEP
• MANUFUTURE – a vision for 2020: Assuring the future of manufacturing in Europe [ 657 Kb] (November 2004). Prepared by the ManuFuture High-Level Group.
• A European Technology Platform for sustainable chemistry [ 589 Kb] (July 2004). Prepared by Cefic, EuropaBio and the European Commission
• Vision 2020: Nanoelectronics at the centre of change [ 845 Kb] (June 2004). Report of the high level group.
• European steel technology platform: Vision 2030 [ 1,05 Mb] (March 2004).
• Results of the informal collection of inputs for nanotechnology R&D in the field of (eco)toxicology [ 142 Kb]: The data gathered with this open consultation provide information valuable to set priorities for research on health and safety aspects of nanotechnology
• The appropriateness of existing methodologies to assess the potential risks associated with engineered and adventitious products of nanotechnologies’: Scientific opinion of the Scientific Committee in Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR), managed by EC's Directorate General Health and Consumer Protection
• The European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies EGE of the Bureau of European Policy Advisers (BEPA) is currently drafting an opinion on the ethical aspects of nanomedicine.
• Research Needs on Nanoparticles [ 5 Mb]: Report of the Brussels workshop, 30/31 March 2006, published on Nanoforum (www.nanoforum.org). The workshop had been organised in order to contribute to the definition of the Commission's research activities in the field of nano and the environment.
• GROWTH in action [ 1,71 Mb] magazine of the Competitive and Sustainable Growth Programme. February 2002.

EU funded projects

• Impart [ 114 Kb]: Improving the understanding of the impact of nanoparticles on human health and the environment. This NMP coordination action will foster communication links between numbers of regional, national and international initiatives in order to reduce duplication of effort, pool expertise and facilitate co-operation between networks.
• NanoDerm: Quality of Skin as a barrier to ultra-fine particles. This FP5 research project aims at applying and developing different methods for analysing the quality of skin as a barrier against nanoparticles and to investigate the nanoparticles activity and the skin response.
• Dealing With Dust: has provided the basis for the development of harmonised EU standards to reinforce legislation on workplace safety concerning dust hazards.
• DEVILS: Thin-walled laminated composite materials offer many advantages, including lightness, resistance in construction of aircraft, cars and vessels.
• Nanosafe2: Safe production and use of nanoparticles. This NMP integrated project will establish processes to detect, track and characterise nanoparticles.
• Nanotransport : The behaviour of Aerosols Released to Ambient Air from Nanoparticle Manufacturing - A Pre-Normative Study.
• RAINBOW develops mass production methods to make ultra-high brightness light emitting diodes (UHB-LEDs) employed in traffic signals, car lights and outdoor displays.
• FUTMAN project maps future potential paths to sustainable development and global competitive strength for European manufacture.