First Sino-EU symposium on nanotechnology in consumer products

(Nanowerk News) As a follow-up of the establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding between the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection and the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine (CIAQ), signed in June 2010, the first Sino-EU Symposium on nanotechnology in consumer products was held on 14-15 April 2011 in Beijing. The event was jointly organised by the Joint Research Centre, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection (JRC-IHCP) and the CIAQ.
Both institutions, the JRC and the CIAQ, provide technical support for policy makers and therefore desired to have co-operation in scientific research for consumer products safety. Nanotechnology was identified as one of the key areas for future collaboration given its increasing utilisation in the development of novel and improved products for which appropriate benefit and safety assessment are required. With today's globalisation of markets, food safety and consumer protection are no longer purely local issues, but need to be addressed within the wider context of international collaboration. Nanotechnology is a prominent research area at the CAIQ and the JRC-IHCP. Both institutions have state-of-the-art and large-scale scientific equipment in their respective nanoscience laboratories.
The first Sino-EU Symposium was organised for the purposes of:
  • Exchanging information on research activities carried out in China and the EU addressing identification and detection of nanomaterials in composite materials and toxicological effects of nanoparticles;
  • Gaining a fuller picture concerning the activities in the field of standardisation of methods;
  • Identifying the priorities for further research on nanomaterials at a global level as well as the major challenges facing risk assessment and detection of nanomaterials in consumer products for the purposes of consumer protection.
  • The symposium was attended by approximately 60 persons drawn from Chinese research institutes and representatives from government organisations. Five speakers from the EU were also present. The discussions were extremely fruitful and prompted lively debate, with many areas of future collaboration between China and Europe being identified.
    Symposium's Programme (pdf).
    Source: JRC, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection