The European Commission’s (EC) Joint Research Center (JRC) opens its scientific laboratories and facilities, including its Nanobiotechnology Laboratory, to people working in academia and research organizations, industry, and small and medium enterprises (SME).  JRC opened a call on February 1, 2019, for the Nanobiotechnology Laboratory for the following priority topics:

• Nanomaterial characterization, including their interactions with biological systems (culture media, proteins);
• Detection of nanomaterials and microplastics in complex matrices;
• Surface chemical analysis of macro and nanomaterials;
• Surface modification and nano-fabrication. Biosensor platform characterization;
• Cell cultures of adherent cells. Material biocompatibility studies.  In vitro assays for assessing nanomaterial genotoxicity, cytotoxicity, and uptake studies.  Transcriptomics; and
• Advanced material characterization for non-bio-applications (energy, transport).

The call ends on May 3, 2019.

JRC opened a call on March 4, 2019, for the following training and capacity building topics for the Nanobiotechnology Laboratory:

• Hands-on training on nanomaterials sizing using state-of-the-art instrumentations such as dynamic light scattering, disk centrifuge sedimentation, asymmetric and sedimentation field flow fractionation with different detectors, and analytical ultra-centrifuge;
• Introduction into commonly used in vitro assays for studying nanomaterial-cell interactions and highlighting pitfalls occurring during assay development due to the specific nature of nanomaterial (in vitro dosimetry, interaction of nanomaterial with cell reagents);
• Hands-on training on biomolecular interaction studies using surface plasmon resonance and quartz microbalance techniques;
• Hands-on training on Raman spectroscopy, ellipsometry, electron microscopy, and an introduction to surface chemistry analysis using XPS and/or ToF-SIMS; and
• Hands-on training on ICP-MS, including single particle detection.

Applications are due June 3, 2019.

For each call, JRC requires that the lead user institution and user institutions be from a country associated to the European Union (EU) Research Program Horizon 2020.  The lead user institution must be from a university, research or public institution, or from an SME.

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