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The Nano-HSE research platform is a DST supported and funded initiative, coordinated by the CSIR, in collaboration with national and international research, academic, industrial and government partners.
The primary objectives of the Nano-HSE research platform are to facilitate South Africa’s ability to respond appropriately to the HSE imperatives of nanotechnology, by:
- Providing an environment suitable for human capital development (HCD) with necessary skills on diverse competences in HSE aspects of nanotechnology;
- Developing infrastructure that supports world-class research on HSE aspects related to nanotechnology;
- Developing an inventory database on the toxicity, ecotoxicity, phototoxicity, cytotoxicity, persistence, bioaccumulation, and other behavioural as well as physiological effects that nanomaterials may induce in organisms;
- Providing a platform that supports focused research to address prioritized knowledge gaps such as nanomaterial characterization and dosimetry, environmental effects and exposure assessment, epidemiology/toxicology in mammalian systems, and risk assessment and risk management
In addition, the following secondary objectives are envisaged:
- Support the development of innovation capacity in South Africa
- Provide the necessary data and information essential for drafting relevant legislation or regulations, and
- Provide a suitable platform for South Africa to participate in international forums related to HSE aspects of nanotechnology, which could improve the country’s national competitiveness, or in negotiations of agreements related to standards governing the global nanotechnology economy.
The Nano-HSE research platform involves national and international collaboration between research councils, academia, industry and government. |
