The aim of CLOUD-MOTION is to establish a network of early stage researchers (ESRs, all PhD students) at 10 institutions across Europe. The role of aerosol nucleation and ice nucleation for atmospheric aerosol, clouds and climate is investigated. The focus of investigations is on a) aerosol nucleation and growth in pristine environments (tropical free troposphere and unpolluted marine environments), b) aerosol nucleation and growth in the anthropogenically polluted atmosphere (urban environments), c) the formation of ice on glassy Secondary Organic Aerosol acting as Ice Nucleating Particles (“glassy SOA as INP”). The major research activity of the network will be three sets of joint experiments carried out at the CLOUD aerosol chamber at CERN to which all ESRs contribute. At the CLOUD chamber nucleation experiments are performed at an unprecedented level of precision and completeness using highly innovative instrumentation. A well-structured research and training plan is set up for every ESR as well as a comprehensive, quality-controlled supervision. A high-quality PhD training is arranged. The ESRs are brought together for network training events such as summer schools and workshops for integral data analysis. Courses by world leading experts are taught spanning from general atmospheric aerosol chemistry and physics to specialized sessions. The summer schools and workshops are specifically tailored to the needs of the trainees. Transferable skills training includes courses on scientific writing, presenting talks, interaction with media, entrepreneurship, IPR, and management. The partners from the private sector (2 beneficiaries, 2 partners) are closely integrated in the action.

An increasing number of nanomaterials (NMs) are entering the market in every day products spanning from health care and leisure to electronics, cosmetics and foodstuff. Nanotechnology is a truly enabling technology, with unlimited potential for innovation. However, the novelty in properties and forms of NMs makes the development of a well-founded and robust legislative framework to ensure safe development of nano-enabled products particularly challenging. At the heart of the challenge lies the difficulty in the reliable and reproducible characterisation of NMs given their extreme diversity and dynamic nature, particularly in complex environments, such as within different biological, environmental and technological compartments. Two key steps can resolve this: 1) the development of a holistic framework for reproducible NM characterisation, spanning from initial needs assessment through method selection to data interpretation and storage; and 2) the embedding of this framework in an operational, linked-up ontological regime to allow identification of causal relationships between NMs properties, be they intrinsic, extrinsic or calculated, and biological, (eco)toxicological and health impacts fully embedded in a mechanistic risk assessment framework. ACEnano was conceived in response to the NMBP 26 call with the aim to comprehensively address these two steps. More specifically ACEnano will introduce confidence, adaptability and clarity into NM risk assessment by developing a widely implementable and robust tiered approach to NM physico-chemical characterisation that will simplify and facilitate contextual (hazard or exposure) description and its transcription into a reliable NMs grouping framework. This will be achieved by the creation of a conceptual “toolbox” that will facilitate decision-making in choice of techniques and SOPs, linked to a characterisation ontology framework for grouping and risk assessment and a supporting data management system.