Continuing the NanoHarmony NANOMET Journey:
Harmonisation & Standardisation of Test Methods
for Nanomaterials and Advanced Materials
Two day workshop focused on NAMs, imaging and testing of complex samples along the material lifecycle
*** ONLINE ***
3. – 4. November 2025
10:00 – ca. 16:00 CET (both days)
(the dial-in link will be sent automatically to all registered participants)
The Horizon Europe projects MACRAMÉ, iCARE, nanoPASS and DESIDERATA invite you to an exclusive two-day virtual workshop advancing the harmonization and standardization of testing methodologies for nanomaterials and advanced materials.
Current State Assessment: Comprehensive overview of current test method developments Future Roadmapping: Strategic pathways to address critical gaps in harmonized testing standards Expert Collaboration: Interactive sessions with international leaders in materials science and regulation Stakeholder Input: Direct opportunity to influence the development of next-generation testing frameworks.
Technical Chair:
Sean Kelly (NIA)
Dr Sean Kelly, Senior Project Manager & Interim Director General
Sean has led NIA's project activities since he joined in 2015. Prior to joining NIA, Sean worked for 10 years at the University of Leeds where he managed collaborative research between the university and industry. He has worked across diverse collaboration types within nano applications, including European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), a joint venture with the King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology, and at senior project management levels in collaborative Framework Programme projects from FP6 onwards.
10:00 – 10:20
Steffi Friedrichs (AIST)
Dr Steffi Friedrichs, Founder & Director of AcumenIST SRL, has been a leading expert, policy advisor and business representative for emerging technological innovation for over 20 years.
Steffi made a name for herself as the founder and Director-General of the Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA) group, where she established novel, collaborative approaches to the political representation of technology-based companies.
Having thus initiated numerous large-scale public-private collaborations and created channels for industries’ contributions to both international and national regulatory processes, Steffi subsequently worked for the OECD, where she developed its definition, indicators and impact assessment of biotechnology, nanotechnology, and other converging technologies, and led two international technology policy workshops on genome editing.
Wishing to support the advancement of transparent, science-based policy-making, Steffi gathered a strong track record in the establishment, development and representation of technology-based companies, and created and ran participatory technology assessment workshops. She initiated several outreach and communication initiatives to foster the public understanding of novel technologies. She was a Co-Founder and Member of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Micro- & Nanotechnology Community (CMNC), Director of the Master’s Programme in Micro- and Nanotechnology at the University of Cambridge, and Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry and Solid State Chemistry at the University of Oxford.
Session I: Landscape of harmonisation and standardisation concerning risk assessment of advanced materials
Chair:
Blanca Suarez Merino (TEMASOL)
Dr Suarez-Merino (DPhil Oxford Biochemistry) is the Regulatory Affairs Director at the Nanotechnology Industries Association and Cofounder of TEMAS Solutions GmbH. Dr Suarez-Merino is Vice Chair of the BIAC Nanotechnology Committee at the OECD contributing to several groups under the OECD WPMN including the Steering Group on Advanced Materials and the Safe Innovation Approach. She also contributes to the Nanomaterial Expert Group under ECHA and the EFSA's Stakeholder Discussion Group on Emerging Risks (StadDG-ER). She is also a National Expert under the Nanotechnologies Standardisation Group (SNV) and routinely contributes to work under CEN/TC 352 Nanotechnologies, leading the SSbD standard. Dr Suarez-Merino is also a member of the Swiss National Platform on the safe handling of synthetic nanomaterials and co-authored the update of the Precautionary Matrix for Nanomaterials, and contributed to different testing guidelines for safety assessment of nanomaterials, the latest one being the adaptation of OECD TG 442D. She has been very active in European Projects focusing on Regulatory research and nanomaterials for several years.
10:20 – 10:40
OECD Perspective on the current TGP
Look back, what has moved forward until now, which TGs/GDs were accepted recently
Mar Gonzalez (OECD)
Mar Gonzalez is responsible for implementing the OECD’s nanosafety and advanced materials program. Her work focuses on enhancing regulatory preparedness and timely decision-making for nanomaterials and advanced materials. She coordinates the development of tools to assess the hazards of these materials, implements the Safer and Sustainable Innovation approach, and advances knowledge of emerging materials to improve anticipatory risk governance. This aligns with strategies for managing industrial chemicals.
presented by:
Erik Bleeker (RIVM)
Dr. Eric Bleeker is a senior scientist at the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in the Netherlands. He has a PhD in ecotoxicology and previously worked as a post-doc researcher in ecotoxicology for about 8 years. Since 2008 he has been working at RIVM on risk assessment of chemicals with a focus on nanomaterials, mainly focused on the European chemicals legislation REACH. His work on nanomaterials involves a broad range of topics. He provides policy advice and support, both on a national level (to several Dutch ministries), as well as on international levels (e.g. in adaptations of the REACH Regulation, the EU Recommendation on the definition of nanomaterials, and representing the Netherlands in ECHA’s NanoMaterials Expert Group and in the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials). He also contributes to guidance and test guidelines for nanomaterials (e.g. REACH Guidance at ECHA, OECD Test Guidelines and Guidance Documents) and recently became Dutch National Coordinator of the OECD Test Guidelines Programme. Furthermore, he has been and still is participating in several EU research projects that support risk assessment of nanomaterials (e.g. GRACIOUS, Gov4Nano, and NanoHarmony), which included advancing grouping approaches, test guideline developments, and governance. Currently, he expands his activities towards more advanced materials (e.g. in OECD-WPMN and the EU project MACRAMÉ).
10:40 – 11:00
ISO/TC 229 Nanotechnologies: Bridging Research and Standards for harmonisationRegulatory Compliance: Progress and Hurdles
Charles Clifford (NPL)
Dr Charles Clifford is a principal scientist in the Surface Technology Group at the National Physical Laboratory, the UK’s national metrology laboratory. Since January 2025 he has been chair of ISO TC229 (nanotechnologies). He has extensive experience in surface analysis, nanoscience measurement and characterization and international standardisation. He has led the development of over 10 ISO and CEN standards in terminology and measurement and characterisation in nanotechnologies and surface chemical analysis. He leads and participates in collaborative projects with a focus on nanomaterials and analysis at the nanoscale. These include projects on graphene standardization through to measurement of nanoparticles in tissues. He has a background in scanning probe microscopy (SPM) with a focus on developing SPM to give quantitative information at the nanoscale beyond 'pretty pictures'.
11:00 – 11:20
The revised EC Safe and Sustainable by Design Framework: an overview
Irantzu Garmendia (JRC)
Irantzu Garmendia is project officer at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre where she leads the safe and sustainable by design activities in the Advanced Materials Governance Team of the Unit Technologies for health. Among her activities she contributes to the development of the EC SSbD Framework, she is member of the WPMN SSIA (Safe and Sustainable Innovation Approach) and AdMa steering committees and contributes as SSbD adviser in numerous European funded projects. She is an organic chemist with a MSc Degree in chemical process engineering and sustainable development and the competence Degree as Occupational safety and health senior technician. She has more than 15 years’ working experience in scientific, technical and regulatory affairs related to chemicals and chemical industry.
11:20 – 12:10
Round table on OECD Test Guidelines and Standards for AdMas and for SSbD
Moderator:
Blanca Suarez Merino (TEMASOL)
Dr Suarez-Merino (DPhil Oxford Biochemistry) is the Regulatory Affairs Director at the Nanotechnology Industries Association and Cofounder of TEMAS Solutions GmbH. Dr Suarez-Merino is Vice Chair of the BIAC Nanotechnology Committee at the OECD contributing to several groups under the OECD WPMN including the Steering Group on Advanced Materials and the Safe Innovation Approach. She also contributes to the Nanomaterial Expert Group under ECHA and the EFSA's Stakeholder Discussion Group on Emerging Risks (StadDG-ER). She is also a National Expert under the Nanotechnologies Standardisation Group (SNV) and routinely contributes to work under CEN/TC 352 Nanotechnologies, leading the SSbD standard. Dr Suarez-Merino is also a member of the Swiss National Platform on the safe handling of synthetic nanomaterials and co-authored the update of the Precautionary Matrix for Nanomaterials, and contributed to different testing guidelines for safety assessment of nanomaterials, the latest one being the adaptation of OECD TG 442D. She has been very active in European Projects focusing on Regulatory research and nanomaterials for several years.
12:10 – 12:40
Session II: Applicability of test methods in real-life use and exposure scenarios
Chair:
Elise Morel (TEMASOL)
Elise Morel (PhD) has a background in (nano)ecotoxicology and an interest in standardisation processes. In TEMAS Solutions GmbH, she supports the design of safe and sustainable innovative technologies, with a focus on safety assessments. In the iCare EU funded project, she facilitates the application of iCare methods and techniques on the industrial use cases. She is also looking at ways to feed the LCA assessment of graphene based 2D nanomaterials with the various hazard data generated by the project to produce environmental footprints in a cost-efficient manner.
12:40 – 13:00
Practical issues applying the safety testing methods
Blanca Suarez Merino (TEMASOL)
Dr Suarez-Merino (DPhil Oxford Biochemistry) is the Regulatory Affairs Director at the Nanotechnology Industries Association and Cofounder of TEMAS Solutions GmbH. Dr Suarez-Merino is Vice Chair of the BIAC Nanotechnology Committee at the OECD contributing to several groups under the OECD WPMN including the Steering Group on Advanced Materials and the Safe Innovation Approach. She also contributes to the Nanomaterial Expert Group under ECHA and the EFSA's Stakeholder Discussion Group on Emerging Risks (StadDG-ER). She is also a National Expert under the Nanotechnologies Standardisation Group (SNV) and routinely contributes to work under CEN/TC 352 Nanotechnologies, leading the SSbD standard. Dr Suarez-Merino is also a member of the Swiss National Platform on the safe handling of synthetic nanomaterials and co-authored the update of the Precautionary Matrix for Nanomaterials, and contributed to different testing guidelines for safety assessment of nanomaterials, the latest one being the adaptation of OECD TG 442D. She has been very active in European Projects focusing on Regulatory research and nanomaterials for several years.
13:00 – 13:20
Characterizing and sampling industrial relevant airborne materials – is there harmonization?
Christina Isaxon (Lund University)
Associate professor and Senior lecturer Christina Isaxon works with airborne emission and exposure characterization in the Aerosol group at the Faculty of Engineering, Lund University, Sweden. Her research focus is the connection between particle properties and health effects in work environments as well as in the Global South. She is the main coordinator for Nanosafety and Sustainability at the Strategic Research Area NanoLund at Lund University. She is an elected co-coordinator of the Aerosols and Health working group in the European Aerosol Association and elected board member of the Nordic Society for Aerosol Research. Additionally, she is a member of the NASA MAIA (Multi-Angler Imager of Aerosols) Science Team, with special responsibility for air pollution characterization in the Primary Target area of Ethiopia. Isaxon is leading the work package 5, Industrial cases and exposure monitoring, in nanoPASS Bridging the gaps in nanosafety for animal-free prediction of adverse outcomes..
13:20 – 13:40
Detection and Inhalation Hazard Assessment of Graphene-Enabled Advanced Material Composites: Lessons Learned from Macramé
Govind Gupta (EMPA)
Dr. Govind Gupta is a scientist at Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, based in St. Gallen, Switzerland. He earned his Ph.D. in toxicology in 2017 and has since established himself as a leading researcher in the field of advanced material and nanomaterials safety. His work focuses on the hazard assessment of engineered nanomaterials and advanced materials composites, with particular emphasis on immunomodulatory effects and cell death mechanisms. He is actively involved in the EU-funded Macramé project and has contributed to other European Union-funded projects, Graphene Flagship, BIORIMA, and NanoVALID. He has authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications, and his research has been recognized with prestigious awards such as the Highly Commended ECETOC Christa Hennes Early Career Award (ECA) and the Sten Orrenius Prize 2022, honoring his work on nanoparticle-mediated cell death pathways.
13:40 – 14:00
DESIDERATA Use Cases – Applied test methods for exposure and safety assessment
Panagiotis Isigonis (LIST)
Panos is currently Lead R&T scientist at the Environmental Sustainability Assessment and Circularity (SUSTAIN) unit of LIST under Dr. Tommaso Serchi. Panos has received his Ph.D. on Environmental Sciences at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy in 2015 and holds a MSc degree on Environmental Engineering from the Technical University of Crete, Greece. During the last decade, Panos has been performing interdisciplinary research in the fields of risk analysis, assessment and management of chemicals and nanomaterials, Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Desing methodologies, with focus on risk governance through the design and implementation of frameworks for structuring complex processes and the development of web-based tools and Decision Support Systems (DSS). In addition he has been exploring applied Operational Research (OR) through the incorporation of Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodologies on various environmental issues. Currently the Coordinator of the DESIDERATA HEurope project and Principal Investigator (PI) for LIST of the project ZeroF, SuperBark and BioPhenom.
14:00 – 14:20
Tracing the Journey: From Controlled Cell Exposure to Imaging of Cellular Uptake
Carla Ribalta (BAuA)
Carla Ribalta is a postdoctoral researcher at the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) and guest scientist at the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) under a Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowship. During her PhD at the Institute for Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC, Spain) and early postdoc years at the National Research Center for Working Environment (NRCWE, Denmark) her work focused on occupational exposure, modelling and exposure assessment. Currently her work focuses on the development of a novel method for the exposure of fibrous nanomaterials to macrophages under the Marie Curie project IMPACT and EU project MACRAMÉ.
Maike Stange (BAuA)
Maike Stange is a postdoctoral researcher at the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), focusing on Raman spectroscopy. She has been trained in various microscopy techniques and is well experienced in biomedical analyses methods and cell biology, based on her education in Biotechnology and Biochemistry. Before commencing her PhD studies in Biophysics, she was working at the University of Potsdam on a project investigating biological processes through mathematical modelling. The focus of her current research is the physico-chemical characterisation and identification of advanced materials in the EU project MACRAMÉ by using a confocal Raman microscope. In addition to her primary research, she is involved in identifying micro- and nanoplastics in air samples using correlative microscopy based on SEM and Raman spectroscopy, and further developing this technique.
14:20 – 14:40
A macrophage-based in vitro method for the risk assessment of advanced materials
Martin Wiemann (IBE)
Martin Wiemann (born 1960) studied biology and obtained his PhD in protozoology in 1990 at the University of Münster in Germany. Following postdoctoral studies in Ulm, San Diego, Münster and Essen, he became an assistant professor of human physiology at the University of Duisburg-Essen in 2000. Since 2007, he has been the CEO and Scientific Advisor of the IBE R&D Institute for Lung Health gGmbH, which develops cell-based in vitro assays to determine particle toxicity in the lung.
14:40 – 15:00
Dry powder exposure for the in vitro assessment of airway toxicity by advanced materialsThe use of modelling in OMICs and how to use OMICs for regulation
Rob Vandebriel (RIVM)
15:00 – 15:50
Round table discussion
Elise Morel (TEMASOL)
Elise Morel (PhD) has a background in (nano)ecotoxicology and an interest in standardisation processes. In TEMAS Solutions GmbH, she supports the design of safe and sustainable innovative technologies, with a focus on safety assessments. In the iCare EU funded project, she facilitates the application of iCare methods and techniques on the industrial use cases. She is also looking at ways to feed the LCA assessment of graphene based 2D nanomaterials with the various hazard data generated by the project to produce environmental footprints in a cost-efficient manner.
15:00 – 16:00
Panagiotis Isigonis (LIST)
Panos is currently Lead R&T scientist at the Environmental Sustainability Assessment and Circularity (SUSTAIN) unit of LIST under Dr. Tommaso Serchi. Panos has received his Ph.D. on Environmental Sciences at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy in 2015 and holds a MSc degree on Environmental Engineering from the Technical University of Crete, Greece. During the last decade, Panos has been performing interdisciplinary research in the fields of risk analysis, assessment and management of chemicals and nanomaterials, Safe-and-Sustainable-by-Desing methodologies, with focus on risk governance through the design and implementation of frameworks for structuring complex processes and the development of web-based tools and Decision Support Systems (DSS). In addition he has been exploring applied Operational Research (OR) through the incorporation of Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) methodologies on various environmental issues. Currently the Coordinator of the DESIDERATA HEurope project and Principal Investigator (PI) for LIST of the project ZeroF, SuperBark and BioPhenom.
Technical Chair:
Anna Pohl (BAuA)
Dr. Anna Pohl is a scientist working at the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) in Germany with a background in Micro- and Nanotechnology. She has a PhD in Biophysics obtained at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces and worked as post-doc at the University of California (Riverside). Her scientific work is dedicated towards the safety of nano- and advanced materials, with a strong focus on investigating the interaction of nanostructures and advanced materials with biological organisms as well as developing new, biocompatible and bioinspired materials and safety test methods. She developed the scientific basis for a new OECD Test Guideline for dustiness testing of nanomaterials. She was and is involved in several EU-funded research projects that support risk assessment of nanomaterials (Gov4Nano, NanoHarmony, MACRAMÉ) and contributed to the development of training materials for Test Guideline developers. Furthermore, she is coordinating an international project towards a new OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN) Guidance on Release Tests for Nanomaterials.
10:00 – 10:20
Session III: Project Legacy and Lessons Learned
Chair:
Sean Kelly (NIA)
Dr Sean Kelly, Senior Project Manager & Interim Director General
Sean has led NIA's project activities since he joined in 2015. Prior to joining NIA, Sean worked for 10 years at the University of Leeds where he managed collaborative research between the university and industry. He has worked across diverse collaboration types within nano applications, including European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), a joint venture with the King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology, and at senior project management levels in collaborative Framework Programme projects from FP6 onwards.
10:20 – 10:50
MACRAMÉ legacy and lessons learned
Anna Pohl (BAuA)
Dr. Anna Pohl is a scientist working at the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) in Germany with a background in Micro- and Nanotechnology. She has a PhD in Biophysics obtained at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces and worked as post-doc at the University of California (Riverside). Her scientific work is dedicated towards the safety of nano- and advanced materials, with a strong focus on investigating the interaction of nanostructures and advanced materials with biological organisms as well as developing new, biocompatible and bioinspired materials and safety test methods. She developed the scientific basis for a new OECD Test Guideline for dustiness testing of nanomaterials. She was and is involved in several EU-funded research projects that support risk assessment of nanomaterials (Gov4Nano, NanoHarmony, MACRAMÉ) and contributed to the development of training materials for Test Guideline developers. Furthermore, she is coordinating an international project towards a new OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN) Guidance on Release Tests for Nanomaterials.
10:50 – 11:00
Lessons from nanoPASS on standardising a NAM
Iztok Urbančič (US)
Iztok Urbančič is project leader at Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia (https://lbf.ijs.si), where they are applying advanced optical microscopy techniques and modelling to devise mechanisms of cellular responses to nano-sized particulate matter (engineered or environmental) leading to chronic diseases. Together with the spin-out company Infinite Biotech (https://www.infinite-biotech.com), they are developing in vitro/in silico tests for prediction of long-term health hazards. He coordinates the Horizon Europe project nanoPASS (https://www.nanopass.eu), aiming to calibrate and validate the NAMs for 4 adverse outcomes and demonstrate their applicability to diverse industrial materials for regulatory use.
11:00 – 11:20
DESIDERATA – Building on the Foundations of the MACRAME and iCare Legacy
Alberto Katsumiti (GAIKER)
Dr. Alberto Katsumiti is a researcher at the GAIKER Technology Centre. He has 20 years of experience in ecotoxicology and human health studies, and 14 years of experience in nanotoxicology. He holds a BSc in Biology, an MSc in Ecology and Conservation, a second MSc, and a PhD in Environmental Contamination and Environmental Toxicology. His research has focused on studying the mechanisms of toxicity of environmental pollutants—especially emerging contaminants (e.g., nanomaterials, advanced materials, microplastics)—on human health and the environment, using alternative methods and in vitro tools. He has also been actively involved in developing New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) for human and environmental hazard assessment. Dr. Katsumiti is a member of EU-NETVAL (the European Union Network of Laboratories for the Validation of Alternative Methods) and serves as GAIKER’s representative among EFSA Article 36 competent organizations.
11:20 – 12:10
Roundtable on the key developments
Which projects could pick up the developed methods, the legacy and the lessons learned?
Moderator:
Sean Kelly (NIA)
Dr Sean Kelly, Senior Project Manager & Interim Director General
Sean has led NIA's project activities since he joined in 2015. Prior to joining NIA, Sean worked for 10 years at the University of Leeds where he managed collaborative research between the university and industry. He has worked across diverse collaboration types within nano applications, including European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), a joint venture with the King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology, and at senior project management levels in collaborative Framework Programme projects from FP6 onwards.
12:10 – 12:40
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Session IV: Where do we go from here and what might come next? |
Chair:
Erik Bleeker (RIVM)
Dr. Eric Bleeker is a senior scientist at the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in the Netherlands. He has a PhD in ecotoxicology and previously worked as a post-doc researcher in ecotoxicology for about 8 years. Since 2008 he has been working at RIVM on risk assessment of chemicals with a focus on nanomaterials, mainly focused on the European chemicals legislation REACH. His work on nanomaterials involves a broad range of topics. He provides policy advice and support, both on a national level (to several Dutch ministries), as well as on international levels (e.g. in adaptations of the REACH Regulation, the EU Recommendation on the definition of nanomaterials, and representing the Netherlands in ECHA’s NanoMaterials Expert Group and in the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials). He also contributes to guidance and test guidelines for nanomaterials (e.g. REACH Guidance at ECHA, OECD Test Guidelines and Guidance Documents) and recently became Dutch National Coordinator of the OECD Test Guidelines Programme. Furthermore, he has been and still is participating in several EU research projects that support risk assessment of nanomaterials (e.g. GRACIOUS, Gov4Nano, and NanoHarmony), which included advancing grouping approaches, test guideline developments, and governance. Currently, he expands his activities towards more advanced materials (e.g. in OECD-WPMN and the EU project MACRAMÉ).
12:40 – 13:00
Computational modelling and challenges that are coming with this
Vladimir Lobaskin (UCD)
Dr. Vladimir Lobaskin is an Associate Professor in the School of Physics, University College Dublin, National University of Ireland. His main research interests are in the field of physics of soft condensed matter and bionano interactions. His lab develops computational tools for in silico characterisation of materials and multiscale modelling methods for biological fluids and nanostructured matter, as well as models for nanomaterials toxicity assessment. He coordinated two research consortia in the field of nanosafety funded by European Commission’s FP7 and Horizon 2020 frameworks and took part in multiple other EU-funded projects on nanosafety and nanoinformatics. He is a contributor to the EU-US Roadmap Nanoinformatics 2030. He is representing European Union in the EU-US Communities of Research in Nano-EHS, coordinating the Characterisation CoR.
13:00 – 13:20
Learning from Sunshine – Regulatory preparedness of REACH for multi-component nanomaterials (MCNMs)
Neil Hunt (Yordas UK)
Neil Hunt is a regulatory and scientific consultant at Yordas UK. He has been a partner on several research projects (SUNSHINE, SbD4Nano, GRACIOUS, SUN, MARINA) into the hazard and risk of nanomaterials primarily focusing on how the results can be put into a regulatory context. He has also supported several clients with their REACH registrations of nanomaterials. Prior to moving to the regulatory sector, Neil was a process development and scale up chemist in the pharmaceutical and fine chemical sectors..
13:20 – 13:40
Life After Release: Grouping Materials by Their ‘Environmental Identity’
Iseult Lynch (UoB)
Iseult Lynch is an Irish chemist and Professor of Enivornmental Nanoscience at the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham. Her research focuses on the safety of nanoparticles in the environment and their interactions with biological entities.
13:40 – 14:00
Can/may we use Digital Material / Product Passport to exchange safety information along the value chain?
Thomas Exner (7P9)
Dr. Thomas Exner (M) is a founding partner and Chief Scientific Officer of the Slovenian-based SME Seven Past Nine d.o.o. Dr. Exner studied chemistry and did his PhD at the Technische Universität Darmstadt (Germany) followed by a postdoc at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. After 12 years of independent academic research (University of Konstanz and University of Tübingen), he joined Edelweiss Connect in 2015 and finally moved on to Seven Past Nine in 2021. There, he is responsible for the scientific planning, execution, supervision and coordination of different projects in the area of safety and sustainability of advanced materials and the use of digital approaches therein.
14:00 – 14:20
Integrating NAMs into Nanomaterial Risk Assessment: Towards a Qualification System for Non-Guideline Methods in the food/feed sector
Susanne Bremer-Hoffmann (JRC)
14:20 – 15:30
Round table discussion: What next?
Erik Bleeker (RIVM)
Dr. Eric Bleeker is a senior scientist at the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in the Netherlands. He has a PhD in ecotoxicology and previously worked as a post-doc researcher in ecotoxicology for about 8 years. Since 2008 he has been working at RIVM on risk assessment of chemicals with a focus on nanomaterials, mainly focused on the European chemicals legislation REACH. His work on nanomaterials involves a broad range of topics. He provides policy advice and support, both on a national level (to several Dutch ministries), as well as on international levels (e.g. in adaptations of the REACH Regulation, the EU Recommendation on the definition of nanomaterials, and representing the Netherlands in ECHA’s NanoMaterials Expert Group and in the OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials). He also contributes to guidance and test guidelines for nanomaterials (e.g. REACH Guidance at ECHA, OECD Test Guidelines and Guidance Documents) and recently became Dutch National Coordinator of the OECD Test Guidelines Programme. Furthermore, he has been and still is participating in several EU research projects that support risk assessment of nanomaterials (e.g. GRACIOUS, Gov4Nano, and NanoHarmony), which included advancing grouping approaches, test guideline developments, and governance. Currently, he expands his activities towards more advanced materials (e.g. in OECD-WPMN and the EU project MACRAMÉ).
15:30 – 15:40
