The NSC delegation to Mexico, took place in January 2019 and was the result of the productive talks that took place between the EU and the United States of Mexico during the 9th Joint Steering Committee Meeting of the Bilateral Agreement on Science and Technology. The joint communique of the Steering Group expressed the determination of both parties to enhance the ongoing cooperation in areas of mutual benefit, including nanosafety expressed by the intention of Mexico to join the European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) and support the development of the guidelines of “Malta Initiative”, which involves EU Member States, OECD and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).
As a result, the high-profile expert workshop aimed to establish a stronger connection between the Mexican and European research and innovation community within the context of bringing scientific information to the risk assessment, risk management and policy level.
Mexico is eligible for funding by the EU in H2020 and FP9 programmes and this meeting meant to get Mexicans and Europeans acquainted with what already has been achieved and where they can benefit from each other’s knowledge (needs) and infrastructures.
The following key collaboration summaries have been identified:
- To formally invite some of the members of EU Nanosafety Cluster to be members of the International Advising Committee of SINANOTOX.
- To engage SINANOTOX in NSC activities such as training schools, workshop and annual scientific meeting
- SINANOTOX members to become member of working groups and task forces.
- To promote the direct contact between the SINANOTOX research groups and their European counterparts vice versa, e.g. by involving Mexican partners in EU project proposals as Mexico is eligible for retrieving funding from the EU.
- To promote the student and faculty exchanges using the binational CONACyT funds.
- To promote in CONACyT the opening of a special call for Nanosafety.
- To invite specific groups from EU Nanosafety cluster to review and enrich the toxicological assays proposed by SINANOTOX members.
- To connect SINANOTOX with the Malta Initiative
- To share protocols and standard operating procedures
- To organize a small workshop or course on data handling and analysis.
- To organize a meeting to evaluate the one-year activities and results from EU Nanosafety cluster-SINANOTOX conjoint activities on January-February 2020.
To know more or get involved with the EU NSC – Mexico dialogue please contact Flemming Cassee at flemming.cassee@rivm.nl, Andrea De Vizcaya-Ruiz at avizcaya@cinvestav.mx or Rafael Vazquez Duhalt at rvd@cnyn.unam.mx.