Norwegian atmospheric research institute combining air quality monitoring, emissions modelling, and nanosafety risk assessment across 30 H2020 projects.
NILU (Norwegian Institute for Air Research) is Norway's leading atmospheric science institute, specializing in air quality monitoring, atmospheric composition, and climate-related observations. They provide measurement infrastructure, dispersion modelling, and data services for environmental agencies, industry, and international monitoring networks. A major second pillar is nanosafety research — risk assessment, safe-by-design frameworks, and regulatory science for nanomaterials used in manufacturing. They bridge atmospheric monitoring with public health by linking pollution exposure data to health risk assessment.
Core contributor across ACTRIS-2, ACTRIS PPP, ACTRIS IMP, ATMO-ACCESS, RI-URBANS, MACC-III, CLAiR-CITY, hackAIR, VIDIS, and SOCIO-BEE — spanning infrastructure, urban monitoring, and citizen science.
Coordinated RiskGONE on nano risk governance; participated in NanoREG II, HISENTS, NanoSolveIT, SABYDOMA, and CompSafeNano covering grouping, toxicity screening, and safe-by-design.
Active in ENVRI PLUS, ENVRI-FAIR, EOSC Future, ACTRIS IMP, and ATMO-ACCESS — building shared data platforms and sustainable access to distributed atmospheric facilities.
Coordinated SEEDS (satellite-based emission/deposition service), contributed to VERIFY (GHG verification), CHE (CO2 human emissions), and COMTESSA (tracer dispersion modelling).
Participated in hackAIR (collective air quality platform), ACTION (participatory science toolkit), and SOCIO-BEE (wearable sensors and drones for urban monitoring).
In 2014–2018, NILU focused on foundational atmospheric observation networks (ACTRIS-2, MACC-III, ConnectinGEO) and entered the nanosafety field through regulatory frameworks (NanoREG II). From 2019 onward, their work shifted toward making research infrastructures FAIR-compliant and sustainable (ENVRI-FAIR, ATMO-ACCESS), advanced nanoinformatics and computational risk assessment (NanoSolveIT, CompSafeNano), and satellite-based emission services (SEEDS, VERIFY). There is a clear move from building observation capacity toward delivering operational data services and decision-support tools.
NILU is evolving from a measurement-focused institute into a provider of integrated atmospheric data services and computational nanosafety tools — valuable for partners needing operational environmental intelligence or regulatory-grade risk assessment.
NILU overwhelmingly operates as a specialist partner within large consortia (26 of 30 projects as participant), contributing domain expertise in atmospheric science or nanosafety rather than leading entire programmes. They coordinated three projects — one prestigious ERC Advanced Grant (COMTESSA) and two focused initiatives (RiskGONE, SEEDS) — showing they can lead when the topic sits squarely in their core competence. With 452 unique partners across 46 countries, they are a highly connected hub in European environmental and nanosafety research networks.
NILU has collaborated with 452 distinct organizations across 46 countries, making them one of the most broadly networked atmospheric research institutes in Europe. Their partnerships span from Nordic neighbours to Mediterranean and Eastern European institutions, with strong ties into the ACTRIS and ENVRI research infrastructure communities.
NILU occupies a rare dual position: world-class atmospheric science combined with deep nanosafety expertise — two fields that rarely overlap in a single institute. This means they can assess both environmental exposure pathways and nanomaterial risks, making them uniquely suited for projects at the intersection of air quality, health, and advanced materials. Their long involvement in ACTRIS (from design through implementation) gives them insider knowledge of Europe's atmospheric research infrastructure landscape.
