Nanotechnology Partnerships and Collaborations
Grants and funding opportunities may be available through the Office of Extramural Programs.
Research laboratories, producers and manufacturers working with engineered nanomaterials (1 to 100 nm) who are interested in participating in a cost-free, on-site assessment can visit the Field Studies Effort webpage for more information.
NIOSH has forged many partnerships and collaborations with countries, academia, industry, labor, other government agencies, and nongovernmental organizations. These collaborations have provided expertise and resources they are critical for successfully completing research and developing and disseminating health and safety information on engineered nanoparticles.
Partnerships & Collaborations in Nanotechnology Research
Safety and Health Organizations and Expert Groups
- American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)
Participating on working group activities and information exchange and dissemination for nanoparticle characterization and control - American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH)
- American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)
- Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences
Modifying software for use in lung dosimetry modeling - Health Physics Society (HPS)
Participating in working group activities and information exchange and dissemination for nanoparticle characterization and control - Collaborating on the respirator filter media work being conducted at the University of Minnesota to assess the filtration efficiency against nanoparticles
- International Alliance for Nanotoxicology Harmonization (IAHN)
Establishing protocols for reproducible toxicological testing of nanomaterials in both cell cultures and animals - The initiative on Minimum Information Needed for Characterization of Nanomaterials (MINChar)
Encouraging adoption of a minimum set of physical and chemical material characterization parameters in nanotoxicology studies - Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM), Edinburgh, Scotland
Revising rat lung dosimetry models to account for particle size-specific clearance and retention. - National Safety Council (NSC)
Federal and Other Government Agencies
- Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
- Department of Energy (DOE)
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Institut de Recherche Robert-Sauve en Sante et en Securite du Travail (IRSST)
Exchanging information on approaches to safe nanotechnology - International Labour Organization (ILO)
Developing information on nanotechnology for a revised edition of the Encylopaedia of Occupaitonal Health and Safety - International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
Developing international standards for terminology, characterization, and safety practices for nanotechnology - Karolinska Institute
Evaluating the effect of nanomaterials on immune cells - National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Evaluating the toxicity of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) - National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/ National Institute of Health and the Department of Defense on nanotoxicology
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Evaluating the toxicity of nanoparticles and developing nanoscale reference materials - Through active participation in NNI’s strategic and budget planning processes, and coordination of research into occupational safety and health of nanotechnology with other government agencies
- National Toxicology Program
Participating in the conduct of field assessments and toxicological research - Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Evaluating the pulmonary toxicity of nanoparticles - Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Evaluating the effectiveness of workplace control measures - Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
Collaborating on exposure measurement and exposure mitigation - U.S. Air Force
- U.S. Army
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
Collaborating with Forest Products Laboratory on exposure assessment and toxicology of nanocellulose - U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Exchanging information on emerging application and health and safety issues for nanotechnology in the nuclear arena - World Health Organization (WHO)
Nanotechnology Companies
- Altair Nano
Understanding and improving the control of ultrafine metal oxides and engineered nanomaterials - DuPont and the Nanoparticle Occupational Safety and Health industry consortium
On issues related to the measurement of nanoparticles and the efficiency of filtration materials for engineered nanoparticles - IBM
Evaluating the bioactivity of silicon nanowires - Luna Nano Works
Understanding and improving the control of fullerenes and other engineered nanoparticles - Mitsui Co. Inc.
Evaluating the bioactivity of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). - NanoMech LLC
Collaborating on a proposed EPA phase I SBIR project related to containment of airborne nanoparticles. - QD Vision
Understanding and improving the control of quantum dots.
- The Ohio State University
Evaluating workplaces, controls, and practices in the nanocomposites industry - University of Cincinnati
Translating nanotechnology research into occupational and environmental health and safety activities - University of Dayton Research Institute
Understanding and improving the control of carbon nanotubes - University of Iowa
Measuring airborne concentrations of ultrafine particles - University of Nevada at Reno (with Altair Nano)
Understanding and improving the control of ultrafine metal oxides and engineered nanomaterials - University of Massachusetts at Lowell
Collaborating on the development of good practices for handling nanomaterials in research laboratories and developing exposure assessment methods - University of Minnesota
Measuring airborne concentrations of ultrafine particles - University of Montana
Evaluating the toxicity of nanowires - University of Montreal
Assessing and characterizing nanoparticles in the workplace - University of Pittsburgh
Evaluating the toxicity of nanomaterials - University of Rochester
Measuring the ability of nanoparticles to generate radical species - University of Wisconsin, Madison
Developing exposure assessment strategies and characterizing nanoparticles in friction stir welding and micromachining - Virginia Tech University
Understanding and improving the control of fullerenes and other engineered nanoparticles - West Virginia University Nanotechnology Center
Evaluating the toxicity of metal oxide nanowires - West Virginia University Medical School
Evaluating the effects of pulmonary exposure to nanoparticles, including the influence of exposure to titanium dioxide (TiO2) on systemic microvascular function