NanoTrust Project (Austria)

A project of the Austrian Academy of Sciences on the state of risk and accompanying research started a massive need for research and communication. Therefore, the Austrian Ministry of Transport, Innovation, and Technology (BMVIT) sought to meet these needs in a national project.

In light of NanoTrust's thematic focus on health and environmental risks as well as on the societal aspects of nanotechnology, the project team is interdisciplinary and consists of a project leader, three permanent experts in cell biology and toxicology, technology assessment and risk analysis, and several external specialists. The project is funded for at first three years (2007 to 2010) by the BMVIT, and included an option for extension beyond this timeframe after an evaluation process. The project also has a permanent advisory board consisting of 12 representatives from regulatory bodies, and science and professional associations.

The heart of the research project is to continually survey, analyze, and summarize the state of knowledge regarding the potential health and environmental risks of nanotechnology. For the first time in Austria, these important aspects of technology development are under systematic scrutiny that goes beyond the scope of single research and development projects. At the same time, research gaps will be identified and differing assessments [Page 565]made transparent. This function was originally called risk radar, which is meant to be the basis for a clearinghouse on questions of potential health and environmental risks. NanoTrust is an informer and promoter of discussion, providing structured information for all concerned actors. Moreover, NanoTrust is meant to serve as an impartial platform for discussions on specific topics related to nanotechnology regulation and policy.

The main goals of NanoTrust include (1) establishing an Austrian entity to deal with the potential health and environmental risk of nanotechnologies; (2) setting up an information network with national and international actors; (3) build an annotated Internet database on potential environmental and health risks and risk governance; (4) elaborate dossiers on topics of interest on the risks of nanotechnologies, addressing administration and policy makers, stakeholders, the research community, and the general public; (5) organize workshops and conferences on topics such as communication on nanotechnologies or questions of risk assessment; and (7) contribute to the research on governance of emerging technologies.

The NanoTrust team publishes summary reports on the state of knowledge on current nanotechnology issues ranging from the impact of nanoparticles on cellular functions to nanotextiles, available on their Website.