National Research Council (CNR)

National Research Council (CNR) is the main public research institution in Italy, composed by 91 Institutes spread all over Italy and employing about 8500 researchers. CNR aims at promoting a wide diffusion of research competences throughout the national territory and at promoting contacts and cooperation with local companies and organizations.

The Institute of Science and Technology for Ceramics (ISTEC) is one of the Institutes of CNR, it is located in Faenza in the north-east of Italy and its research is specifically addressed to the global study of advanced ceramic and inorganic materials. CNR-ISTEC has strong international collaborations within Europe, USA and Japan, and at present is involved in many international programs in the field of nanosafety, bioceramics and materials for aerospace. Industrial partnership is widely developed and encouraged, and technology transfer is a priority (creation of spin offs).

Currently CNR-ISTEC coordinates one EU project on safety by design and is involved as WP/task leader in five other H2020 EU projects in the area of nanosafety. The experience gained in the synthesis and characterization of inorganic nanomaterials combined with organic matter to obtain new hybrid materials, together with the characterization at the nano-bio interface, will be key aspects for the accomplishment of SUNSHINE objectives.

Role in the project:

CNR-ISTEC will be strongly involved in WP5 where the partner will lead the development of the safe by material design strategies. In addition, CNR-ISTEC will be involved in physicochemical and functional characterization of the intrinsic and extrinsic properties of MCNMs in physiological and environmental media to inform (eco)toxicity and fate studies for the purpose of testing the modified materials to prove the effectiveness of the safe by material design strategies.