NanoTrust
Integrative Analysis of the State of Knowledge Regarding Health and Environmental Risks of Nanotechnology

Despite broad application in everyday products and materials, safety and security issues of nanotechnologies have hardly been the subject of research to this day. The NanoTrust project has been ongoing since 2007 and represents a publicly accessible information platform aiming to identify the most pressing issues.
Nanotechnology promises new or improved materials and products, e.g. in medicine, cosmetics, optics, or construction. In order to ensure the safe and sustainable development of nanotechnologies, NanoTrust collects, analyses and communicates the current state of knowledge on possible health and environmental risks for decision-makers and the interested public, thus contributing to the organisation of an exchange of knowledge.
The field of nanotechnology is gaining momentum in the context of the development of technology. However, aspects of safety and security have not been sufficiently explored yet to be able to predict the potential risks and dangers involved. At the same time, the public debate has steered towards a critical view, and could easily take a turn towards the negative implications involved.
In light of our experience with genetic engineering in agriculture, we need to have a forward-looking nanotechnology policy that builds upon deep and well-prepared analyses. Thus, there is a great need for more research about, and communication of, the subject.
Within NanoTrust 5 accompanying research on approaches to the regulation of nanotechnologies, as well as the security and risk research of the innovation area of the so-called “advanced materials”, is conducted. An important task includes the dissemination of research results within the framework of scientific technology assessment, as well as the critical reflection of the national and international regulatory activities and feedback to the relevant Austrian actors.
For the first time in Austria, these important aspects of technology development are being investigated in a systematic way rather than on the level of individual R&D projects. We aim at making transparent possible gaps in research and identifying the most pressing issues that need to be addressed. The findings will also have national relevance, as project-coordinator André Gazsó has recently been made chair of the Nano Information Commission of the Austrian Ministery of Health.
Further Information
If you would like to be informed about the latest NanoTrust activities and publications, you can subscribe to the NanoTrust Newsletter here: NanoTrust Newsletter (German)
Former NanoTrust researchers: Daniela Fuchs, Julia Haslinger, Ulrich Fiedeler, Myrtill Simkó
Dossiers
NanoTrust Dossiers – Results of the project "NanoTrust"
The team of the project NanoTrust offers on an irregular basis “Dossiers”, approximately three to six page summaries of the state of knowledge on current issues in the existing nano debate in an accessible language, but on a firm scientific base.
The NanoTrust Dossiers are published in german and english language and can be visited at EPUB.OEAW.
Events
Events
Within the framework of the project NanoTrust, we organise events of different kinds from conferences to special workshops; NanoTrust also contributes to conferences by third parties by organising special sessions.
Announcement:
currently no events
Review:
- 11th NanoTrust Conferencet 30th October 2018, Vienna
- 10th NanoTrust Conference – Birthday Party 10 Years NanoTrust
29th September 2017, Vienna - 9th NanoTrust-Tagung
18. November 2016, Wien - 8th NanoTrust Conference
Vienna, October 14th, 2015 - 7th NanoTrust Conference
Vienna, October 9th 2014 - Workshop/Symposion Converging Technologies
Vienna, May 27th 2014 - 6th NanoTrust Conference: "Toxikologie – Regulierung – Öffentlichkeit"
June 4th, 2013, Vienna - Special Session on "Nanosicherheit" at TA13
June 3rd, 2013, Vienna - 5th NanoTrust Conference - "Nanotechnologies & Workers' Safety"
December 7th, 2011, Vienna - 4th NanoTrust Conference - "Approaches to Risk Assessment and Risk Management of Nanotechnologies"
September 23th, 2010, Vienna - "Regulierung von Nanomaterialien - Verantwortlicher Umgang mit verbrauchernahen Produkten"
February 18th, 2010, Austrian Federal Ministry of Health, Radetzkystraße 2, Vienna - NANOTECH Informative Meeting:
"Nanotechnologie im Lichte der aktuellen Diskussion zu REACH und CLP"
Kindly supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth
November 12th, 2009, WKO/Room 7, Vienna - "NanoSoc: Approach and experiences of a Flemish pTA-project"
Marian Deblonde, Institute for the Environment and Sustainable Development (IMDO),
University of Antwerp (Belgium)
November 3rd, 2009, ITA, Vienna - "Seminar on Nanotechnology in Health and Medicine" (National Universitiy of Malaysia)
October 29th, 2009, UMBI (Medical Molecular Biology Institute, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) - Forum "Nanotechnology: Evolution of Knowledge to Market"
October 28th, 2009, Academy of Science Malaysia - Conference "NANOtech Malaysia 2009"
October 28th, 2009, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (Malaysia) - OECD-Roundtable: "Communicating knowledge - communicating uncertainty regulatory requirements for science"
September 25th, 2009, Vienna - 3rd NanoTrust Conference: "Possible health effects of manufactured nanomaterials"
September 24th, 2009, Vienna - Nano09 (September, 6th-9th)
NanoTrust has organised an evening session on "Talking About Risks of Nanotechnologies: The State-of-the-Art and beyond"
Keynote speaker was Dr. Antje Grobe (Stiftung Risiko-Dialog).
September 7th, 2009, Vienna - Special workshop on EHS research needs
May 15th, 2009, ITA, Vienna - Viennano'09
Special session on health, environmental and security aspects of nanotechnologies
March 18th-20th, 2009, Techgate Vienna, Vienna - Nanotechnology the food sector
This event hostet by the Austrian Ministry of Health, AGES and ITA was part of the discussion on applications and consequences of nanotechnologies in the food sector,
October 27th, 2008 - BioNanoMed 2009
special session and a panel discussion on the regulation of environmental and health issues
January 26th-27th, 2009, Krems - Overview of nanotechnology-related activities of institutions in Austria
October 2nd, 2008, Vienna - 2nd NanoTrust Conference: "Nanotechnologies – The Present State of Regulation"
September 29th, 2008, Vienna - NTA3–TA'08 Conference: "Technology Governance"
Session on "Governance of Nanotechnologies"
May 28th-30th, 2008, Vienna - Special workshop on nano food
May 09th, 2008 - 1st NanoTrust Conference: "Risk Governance of Nanotechnologies: The International State of the Art"
September 25th, 2007, Vienna