Dr Steffi Friedrichs of AcumenIST SRL participated in the ‘Standardisation Workshop & Panel Discussion’ at Graphene Week 2023, held from the 4th – 8th September 2023 in Gothenburg.
She contributed an introduction to the HorizonEurope-funded MACRAMÉ Project (Advanced Characterisation Methodologies to assess and predict the Health and Environmental Risks of Advanced Materials) and illustrated, how the nanotechnology community kicked off standardisation and harmonisation activities throughout 2005 to 2007, thereby laying the foundations for an extended, materials-specific approach to the collaborative development of standards (through ISO/TC 229, CEN/TC/352, ASTM/E56, and IEC/TC 113) and regulatory relevant guidelines (incl. OECD Test Guidelines and Guidance Documents).
By now, this has led to the development of 215 standardisation and harmonisation documents, but many more still need to be developed; Dr Friedrichs listed 38 gaps in the standardisation and harmonisation landscape that have already been identified by TEMAS Solutions and LNE, partners of the MACRAMÉ Project (cf. Towards harmonisation of testing of nanomaterials for EU regulatory requirements on chemical safety).
The Workshop & Discussion Panel highlighted the graphene-specific standards that had been developed by the standardisation community within the Graphene Flagship, and elaborated the following questions with the panel and audience:
- How important are standards for your company, for your daily work?
- Are you engaged in the standardisation?
- Which kind of standards do you expect?
- How can standardisation strengthen the European role in the commercialisation of graphene?
- Regulation – opportunity or risk for European roles in the commercialisation of graphene?
Under the newly proposed partnership ‘Innovative Materials for EU (I’M for EU)’, the nanomaterials and the graphene communities will now combine their expertise to work together on the standardisation and harmonisation of advanced materials.
