Federal government activities

The Swiss federal government is actively involved in research and dialogue at national and international level.

The current activities are listed and described below. You will find the relevant documentation under «Documents» or «Links».

International Nano-Authorities Dialogue

The International Nano-Authorities Dialogue, which was first held in Munich in 2006, is a transnational platform on the safe and sustainable use of nanotechnology involving environmental, health, and occupational safety authorities and representatives. Its members from Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and, since 2016, Luxembourg meet once a year with various NGOs, organisations and businesses. The aim of this platform is to provide a space for these authorities to share experiences and pursue transnational dialogue on current issues surrounding nanotechnology and nano governance.

The 15th International Nano-Authorities Dialogue

The 15th International Nano-Authorities Dialogue was held as a hybrid event in Lucerne, Switzerland, organised by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). The first day of the dialogue was dedicated to discussing the enforcement of nano-specific requirements in chemicals, cosmetics and food law, as well as a number of methods necessary for this. On the second day, the process and role of developing OECD test guidelines was discussed and four research projects were presented. The dialogue concluded with a presentation of activities in the field of Advanced Materials and an insight into how nanomaterials are addressed in the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability.

The 16th International Nano-Authorities Dialogue will be hosted by Austria.

The Gov4Nano research project

Gov4Nano is funded by the EU as part of Horizon 2020. It was launched in January 2019 and is scheduled to run for four years. The project seeks to facilitate and promote dialogue among all stakeholders, from the science and research community, industry, authorities and the public on key aspects of risk governance for nanotechnologies, such as risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. It also supports the prioritisation and harmonisation of practices amongst stakeholders by developing test guidelines for nanomaterials and guidance on the use of test guidelines for nanomaterials. It also promotes the creation of FAIR data (FAIR means findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable data and databases). The aim is to establish a trusted and objective basis for risk management in relation to nanotechnologies. To this end, a Nanotechnology RiskGovernance Council (NRGC) has been devised and set up together with EU partner projects RiskGone and NanoRIGO.

The FOPH is involved in the Gov4Nano project and is responsible for the work package looking at the applicability of OECD test guideline 442D concerning in vitro skin sensitisation of nanomaterials.

Links

14th international nano authorities dialogue

Gov4Nano

Last modification 01.09.2022