The incidental, accidental, or intentional release of manufactured nanomaterials into the environment and its exposure to humans is inevitable due to the exponential growth in invention, production, and use of them. It can have a huge impact in our health specially in the most sensible and exposed human body organs such us lungs, stomach, and brain. iCare aim to to develop a resilient and adaptive set of advanced imaging technologies to quantify physical-chemistry properties for ANMC in complex matrices. The main objective will focus on a integrated model system to characterize and predict the impact of nanomaterials on brain health to prevent the toxicity nanomaterials. The project makes accessible for industry a set of techniques and methodologies to evaluate changes in morphology, chemical composition and reactivity of nanomaterials when exposed to complex homogenous matrices mimicking environmental and biological exposure, with a particular emphasis on high-resolution imaging methodologies. To achieve this goal the project the project brings together in the consortium 11 partners from different backgrounds such as RTOs, SMEs, industries and universities from different EU and non-eu countries and coming from different fields like nanotech, toxicology, advanced materials, advanced imaging, … During the 48 months long of the project, the consortium will work on the development of different activities to achieve the following results: 1)new imaging methods achieving new high resolution methodologies and new super resolution imaging techniques 2)development of toxicology testing protocols and addressing current gaps in nanotoxicology, 3)development of tools and methods bringing the gap in vitro and in vivo testing, 4)efficiency of materials and product development 5)Delivery of reliable data and improved data reporting and finally development of harmonised standardised test methods that can be used in regulatory frameworks.

SEARCULAR aims at reducing the amount of marine litter and microplastic from the most relevant European fishery contributors (demersal trawlers, demersal seiners, tropical tuna purse seiners) and to introduce circular economy practices within the fishing sector value chain including ports, by fostering behavioural change. SEARCULAR will do this by developing/testing/validating 4 close-to-market sustainable and circular solutions (TRL7-9). Three of the solutions are related to the use of more sustainable materials as alternatives to the traditional non-circular plastic used in fishing gears: Solution#1 proposes a dolly rope made of recycled polyamide (rPA) from discarded fishing nets (thus it is focused on circularity and more durable materials), Solution#2 is based on certified marine-biodegradable materials for demersal seine ropes (the focus is on less impact gears), Solution#3 represents an eco-designed biodegradable drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (dFADs) used by tropical tuna purse seine fishery. And Solution#4 proposes an End-of-Life (EOL) fishing gears solution for ports by promoting a replicable management system that enables the pyrolysis of EOL fishing gears for a plastic2plastic application. The 4 solutions will be tested under real conditions: onboard commercial vessels (Solutions 1-3) and for the Basque country region (Solution 4), and they will be validated by stakeholders. Therefore, SEARCULAR solutions eliminate waste generated from fishing gears, circulate materials and regenerate nature.

The packaging industry is responsible of around 60% of post-consumer SUP wastes and most likely to become litter in natural environments. While factors such as fast consumption patterns, safety concerns or compact size, hinder effective packaging waste recycling, the need for safe alternative biodegradable solutions is mandatory. E-OILÉ will address safe and sustainable biodegradable packaging solutions close to the market by: a) demonstrating at TRL 7 cost effective production of biodegradable materials based on novel biopolyesters and polysaccharides, engineered to enhance barrier and mechanical performance, to replace Polyolefin materials (PP and PE) and PET in monodose packaging solutions ecodesigned as biodegradable monomaterial structures or combination with coating technologies and following the SSbD framework ; b) implementing a circular business model, food and cosmetic products, through 4 Uses Cases (UC): Olive oil- UC1; oily sauces- UC2; Body oil- UC3 and Oil serum- UC4); c) validating the packaging performance, shelf life, safety and sustainability along the whole supply chain (from material producers to end users) and demonstrating complete biodegradability following relevant standards and in environmentally relevant conditions and, therefore, sustainable End-of-Life (EoL) pathways for the new packaging solutions in combination with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced modelling mechanisms for digitally-assisted accurate prediction of degradation processes. The consortium is integrated by 15 partners of the whole supply chain: large companies, SMEs and Start-up as materials producers (2) to the end-users of food and cosmetic sectors (2) through the packaging producers (3). Partnership will also involve supporting RTOs and other non-profit organizations with expertise in disciplines such as compounding, SSbD, biodegradation testing, packaging and product validation, exploitation, SSH for consumer engagement and digital technologies