The SUNRISE Project at ANTHOS'26: Pioneering Solutions for Safe and Sustainable by Design
The SUNRISE project established a commanding presence at the ANTHOS'26 event in Vienna, actively steering the conversation around operationalizing the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework for advanced materials. Through collaborative workshops, strategic meetings, and hands-on demonstrations, the SUNRISE team showcased its core methodologies and digital tools designed to make sustainable industry a practical reality.
Day 1: Co-Creation and Strategic Synchronization
SUNRISE kicked off Monday, March 9, by co-hosting the interactive RES-22 Co-Creation workshop alongside its sister projects AlChemiSSts, INTEGRANO, and INSIGHT. SUNRISE Coordinator Danail Hristozov welcomed participants and later led a joint discussion focused on establishing practical implementation steps for the industry. A major highlight of the session was a live demonstration of the SUNRISE e-Infrastructure led by Arianna Livieri, which showed participants how the digital tools work in practice, followed by an interactive Q&A with Livieri and Chara Agaoglou.
Later that afternoon, the SUNRISE vision for a sustainable future was front and center at the BioNanoNet (BNN) Networking Event, where Danail Hristozov presented the project's latest strategies for SSbD implementation to a crowd of experts. The day concluded with Hristozov representing SUNRISE at the NanoSafety Community (NSC) Steering Group Meeting to synchronize efforts and accelerate the adoption of SSbD frameworks across Europe.
Day 2: Addressing Needs and Pitching Digital Tools
On Tuesday, March 10, SUNRISE’s influence was felt immediately during the morning "Needs Session." Hubert Rauscher (European Commission JRC), noted as a core member of the SUNRISE project, took the stage to define the strategic roadmap and outline the fundamental "why" behind the industry's next steps.
During the high-speed Poster Pitch Session, the SUNRISE team showcased the project's foundational pillars:
Arianna Livieri (GreenDecision) presented the Integrated Impact Assessment Approach (IIAA) alongside the Multilevel Qualitative Assessment Tool designed for early-stage safety screening.
Matteo Carisi (GreenDecision) provided a deep dive into the SUNRISE e-infrastructure, demonstrating how the project is successfully digitalizing SSbD for advanced materials.
Carlos Fito (ITENE) concluded the project's pitches with a critical look at Data Gaps Analysis, a necessary step for proper SSbD implementation.
In the afternoon, Alberto Katsumiti (GAIKER) represented SUNRISE as the co-chair of "Solutions session 1" alongside Massimo Perucca and Päivi Kivikytö-Reponen, leading discussions on cost-effective screening tools and transforming the innovation mindset.
Day 3: Delivering Practical Frameworks and Success Stories
SUNRISE wrapped up the event on Wednesday, March 11, by focusing heavily on tangible implementation. During the "Scientific Implementors" session, Vicenç Pomar-Portillo (Empa) shared SUNRISE's latest work on methods and tools for the safety assessment of advanced nanomaterials. He detailed how these frameworks are designed to catch safety issues long before products hit the market.
Finally, Danail Hristozov chaired "Solutions Session 5", guiding high-level discussions on translating the revised EC SSbD framework into real corporate success stories across multiple sectors. Within this session, Arianna Livieri demonstrated the SUNRISE tiered approach for integrated impact assessment to actively support SSbD decision-making.
Through robust digital infrastructures and strategic partnerships, SUNRISE successfully demonstrated at ANTHOS'26 that the transition of SSbD from a high-level vision into a practical, corporate reality is already well underway.
