Lead: Albert Duschl (Paris – Lodron University of Salzburg) / Deputy: Andrea Haase (Federal Institute for Risk Assessment)
Participating Partners: PLUS, UoB, EdC, CEH, BfR, BNN, NovaMechanics, Biomax, UM
In order to maximise the uptake of the NanoCommons tools and platform, including the TA opportunities, by the widest possible spectrum of the community and its stakeholders, Work Package 8 (WP8) will deliver a set of training activities closely aligned with the JRA and TA activities. Online tools can help to better integrate these subjects into existing teaching programs, since they can usually be implemented without recruiting new personnel or investing in technical equipment. Different types of tools (MOOCs, e-learning platforms, microlearning, etc.) will be developed to address the key training needs of three groups:
- early career stage researchers specialising in bio/nano or nanosafety studies;
- researchers specialising in technical core subjects (lawyers, media professionals or medics) who need sufficient working knowledge of nanosafety without the need to achieve expert status;
- employers in agencies and industry who require up-to-date expert knowledge in their areas of interest for continued professional development.
Innovative training approaches to be developed include provision of “training areas” with task-oriented learning tools utilising real data, real tools, but set up as exercises that trainees work through, e.g. ranking studies based on exposure and hazard assessment tools and model, AOP identification and development, QSAR development and grouping studies etc.
The objectives of this training WP are to:
- Upskill the research community in key areas including independent experimental data audits and quality assurance audits, sample cataloguing and storage, validated data logging, quality control practice, experiment design and rigorous and repeatable data analysis;
- establish knowledge sharing working group activities e.g., groups based on discussing a particular focused topic; creation of a Research Data Alliance Interest Group on nanoinformatics, including data quality and data accessibility needs assessment; participation in existing NSC and EU-US CoRs Working Groups;
- provide training for early career stage researcher, regulators and company employees in experiment and, modelling results integration into the data generation and analysis workflow (e.g. using e-lab- notebooks and other online data capture platforms), as well as training sessions on the use of key nanoinformatics tools;
- ensure sustainability of training opportunities beyond the lifetime of the project through linking with the focus group “Education and Training” in EC4SafeNano, with the NSC WGA subgroup on training, and with SMEs and education providers within and outside of the consortium.