European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials
Open-knowledge reference entry
The European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON) is an initiative that aims to increase the transparency and availability of information on nanomaterials to the general public. It was launched in June 2017.
The EUON collects existing information from databases, registries and studies and generates new data through additional studies and surveys on nanomaterials on the EU market.
The EUON website has content in 23 EU languages covering uses, safety, regulation, international activities as well as research and innovation.
It has been set-up, managed and maintained by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).
Establishment
The EUON is the result of a perceived lack of necessary information about existing nanomaterials on the EU market. Against this background the European Commission conducted an impact assessment on different solutions to address the perception and increase the transparency of information. The European Commission also committed to address the issue of transparency as part of their Second Regulatory Review on Nanomaterials
The European Commission delegated ECHA with the creation, management and maintenance of the EUON because of the synergies between its scope and ECHA's tasks of managing and evaluating data from the implementation of European chemicals legislation, REACH, CLP and BPR.
Lists and databases
The EUON compiles information about nanomaterials from different databases and lists.
NanoData – A database with information on the development of nanomaterials and nanotechnology, focusing mainly on the EU market. It gives information on different sectors using nanomaterials, including health, energy, photonics, manufacturing, and information and communication technology.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials” as open-knowledge reference entry. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as open-knowledge reference entry. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 8, 2022. The linked authority identifier is Q60791182. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2017.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials primary sources, European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials archive and European research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.