Nanotechnology promises significant scientific, economic and societal benefits, but commercialization and growth are threatened by safety uncertainties. Classical hazard testing strategies to define the human and environmental health impact of engineered nanomaterials (ENM) commonly apply unrealistic acute, high-doses to models that do not reflect the in vivo environment. Furthermore, existing in vitro and in silico hazard detection methods are not accurately predictive. PATROLS addresses these limitations by establishing and standardizing the next generation of advanced safety assessment tools for improved prediction of the adverse effects caused by chronic ENM exposure in human and environmental systems. PATROLS will deliver: 1) physiologically representative multi-cellular in vitro 3D lung, gastrointestinal tract and liver models; 2) cross-species models integrating human and environmental safety testing; 3) innovative ecotoxicity bioassays in several organisms across a food chain; 4) robust in silico models for dosimetry, interspecies toxicity extrapolation and hazard prediction. ENM characterization under physiologically relevant experimental conditions will be integral to this realistic, exposure driven strategy. A systems biology approach will also be adopted to identify key events linked to adverse outcome pathways, informing mechanism-based endpoints associated with real-life ENM exposures. These objectives will be achieved by an international network of world-leading academic, governmental, industrial, SME, risk assessment agency and NGO partners. The innovative in vitro and in silico nanosafety testing tools developed by PATROLS will balance speed, cost and biological complexity, while reducing uncertainty via improved predictive power. The smart targeted testing approach will drive a paradigm shift in (eco)toxicology towards mechanism-based ENM hazard assessment to support policy development in human and environmental nanosafety regulatory frameworks.

Gov4Nano will design and establish a well-positioned and broadly supported Nano Risk Governance Council (NRGC). Organizing, connecting and engaging are key activities in Gov4Nano and its creation of a sustainable NRGC. Gov4Nano will develop an operational trans disciplinary Nano Risk Governance Model (NRGM) for nanotechnologies, building on an established governance framework developed by the International Risk Governance Council (IRGC). Engaging stakeholders (including regulators) to proactively address nano-specific safety and seek dialogue for joint activities. NRGC and its precursor project Gov4Nano will engage, in order to support these activities, with the broad variety of stakeholders across all relevant nano-disciplines (chemical, biocides, food and feed, pharma and medical devices and materials development) and draft a review on our knowledge progress over the last decade whilst initiating dialog. To boost the quality of the dialog it will create a platform for dialogues between stakeholders in a “trusted environment” inclusive of civil society. The NRGC core business is to coordinate, guide and harmonize in order to overcome the fragmentation of current knowledge, information and needs over various sectors and disciplines (workers, consumers/patients, environmental safety) and to prepare the transfer of this knowledge. To that end, the NRGC will be equipped with a self-sustainable NanoSafety Governance Portal (NSGP) consolidating state-of-the-art and progressive nanosafety governance tools including ones for dialogues and measuring risk perception. Major efforts will be towards requirements for data harmonization and data curation to be defined and laid down in guidance on obtaining harmonized and standardized quality-scored data collections promoting a big data approach for nano-toxicology. Research activities will be initiated for regulatory sound knowledge in support of harmonized (OECD) guidance for characterization and testing of nanomaterials.

Recent years have seen rapid changes in the workplace arising from the digital and green transitions (‘twin transition’), as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. New forms of work and work management have arisen, which can affect the physical and mental health of workers in new ways (both positive and negative) that are not yet well understood. Yet, workplaces can be health-promoting environments. Robust, comprehensive data must be generated, made available to key stakeholders, translated into evidence-based guidance to support the design of policies and used to develop evidence-based interventions and guidelines to promote mental and physical well-being and health in the workplace. PROSPERH will gather timely data and robust evidence on factors influencing mental and physical health in the workplace from the literature and analysis of existing high-quality datasets. Based on this evidence and building on existing EU-funded and national interventions, the project will develop and validate the multi-level PROSPERH intervention, delivered via the PROSPERH Portal. The intervention will target both organisational (work), peer and individual (worker) aspects, with three components focusing on health promotion, online self-monitoring & self-management and clinical care or coaching referral pathways. Development will focus on tailoring content for three sectors experiencing significant change (telework and ICT-based mobile work, health and construction), with validation carried out in 10 representative European countries and Australia through a cluster-randomised controlled trial to determine effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. To ensure that the expected impacts of PROSPERH are achieved during and beyond the project lifetime, key outputs of the project will include open access publications and FAIR datasets, guidelines and recommendations and a roadmap for making the PROSPERH Portal freely available in a sustainable manner.

In a large majority of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including the immune-mediated diseases (IMDs), complex gene-environmental interactions contribute to the onset and development of disease through the modulation of biological pathways. IMDs are characterized by abnormal immune responses, have limited therapeutic options and require lifelong treatment if not detected during the preclinical stage. EXPOSIM will provide a strong evidence base to better understand the impact of combined environmental stressors on immune health, with a focus on air pollution, noise and hazardous waste in urban areas. More specifically, we will investigate the impact of environmental stressors – the external exposome – on IMDs and immune health at different stages in life (pregnancy, childhood and adulthood). We will identify biological pathways and molecular mechanisms mediating the effect of combined exposures on IMDs. Through case studies and topical reviews, we will demonstrate the effectiveness of exposure-reducing and health-promoting interventions, with a focus on vulnerable and highly exposed individuals. This knowledge will be translated into policy recommendations and informed decision-support tools. Moreover, the project emphasises on scientific collaborations and stakeholder engagement, involving co-creation of health-promoting actions, education, training and communication. EXPOSIM will build a user-friendly toolbox for regional, national and EU policymakers, health professionals, researchers and citizens. To reach its ambitious objectives, EXPOSIM brings together a geographically balanced, experienced interdisciplinary consortium (active in PARC, EXIMIOUS, EHEN, METEOR) of ten European partners with complementary expertise in exposome research, epidemiology, immunology, omics, novel data analytics, health economics and social sciences and humanities. Ultimately, EXPOSIM will contribute to a healthy environment and healthy lives for all EU citizens.