The key innovation point of the ICARUS-INAS project is to ensure that high quality characterization factors (CFs) are specifically determined for novel nanostructured materials to assess and quantify their environmental impact over their entire life cycle, through an appropriate portfolio of adapted toxicity tests, aiming to offer a step forward in the environmental safety and sustainability assessment of novel (nano)materials. The underlying innovation idea of this proposal (which is mainly addressing exploitation and dissemination activities), is the development of a certified Integrated Nanostructures Assessment-Service (INAS) for the biological impact analysis of nanostructures combining toxicology and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). A portfolio of in vitro tests, including rapid high-throughput tests and mechanistic toxicity projects applying omics technologies, will be offered for the assessment of the human and environmental safety of nanostructured alloys and other nanomaterials, which could be implemented in the customer's facilities too when requested. The toxicology assessment will be tailored as well to the chemical-related impacts for which CFs are necessary within the LCA analysis, allowing a full harmonization between the available toxicity data and the customer’s products life cycle assessment. In preparation of the INAS service, the exploitation, IPR and dissemination strategies will be defined and implemented in this project, based on in-depth market analysis, business planning and other exploitation-related activities.
The main objectives of the project are:
- the validation and certification of a set of tools and protocols previously developed in the linked ICARUS project
- to develop an integrated Nanosafety and LCA service strategy for academic and industrial customers, through
- an accompanying dissemination and exploitation strategy.