Air pollution is an invisible yet powerful threat - and its effects begin far earlier than most people realize. Increasing evidence shows that tiny airborne pollutants such as ultrafine particles (UFPs) and micro- and nanoplastics (MNPs) can enter the human body, reaching sensitive tissues including the placenta and fetal environment. These particles originate from everyday sources such as traffic, industrial emissions, and plastic waste.

The UPRISE project was created to address this urgent public health challenge. By combining expertise from environmental science, medicine, toxicology, epidemiology, and public health, UPRISE aims to understand how early-life exposure to UFPs and MNPs contributes to:

• Preterm birth (PTB)
• Adverse birth outcomes (ABOs)
• Neonatal complications
• Long-term disease risk

UPRISE’s mission is clear: to generate robust scientific evidence that supports better policies, healthier pregnancies, and improved outcomes for future generations.

Ensuring that research outcomes truly benefit families requires the voices of those most affected. That is why UPRISE includes a dedicated Parent Advisory Board (PAB), coordinated by the Global Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants (GFCNI).

Role of the Parent Advisory Board

The PAB ensures that the lived experiences of parents—especially those affected by preterm birth—inform the project’s communication, dissemination, and policy outreach.

The PAB contributes by:

• Reviewing project materials for clarity, accessibility, and relevance
• Guiding communication strategies to better reach parents, patient groups, and clinicians
• Helping connect scientific insights to real-world needs and clinical practice
• Ensuring that messages are meaningful, transparent, and supportive of families

Representation and Structure

• The PAB consists of four representatives from parent organisations with experience in preterm birth.
• Meetings take place regularly throughout the project.
• All members follow confidentiality and ethics guidelines to ensure integrity and responsible handling of sensitive information.

Through active parent and patient involvement, UPRISE bridges the gap between scientific discovery and practical impact.

Collaboration is essential to tackling complex environmental health challenges. UPRISE is part of ExpoHealthNet, a Horizon Europe-funded cluster that unites seven leading research projects investigating how environmental exposures contribute to non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

ExpoHealthNet strengthens UPRISE by enabling:

• Scientific exchange on exposure monitoring, modelling, and biological mechanisms
• Shared resources across environmental health research initiatives
• Coordinated outreach, increasing visibility and impact
• Better policy guidance, backed by evidence across multiple projects and disciplines

Funded with more than €56 million across all participating consortia, ExpoHealthNet fosters a unified, Europe-wide approach to exposome research.

Learn more: ExpoHealthNet

Funded by the European Union (grant no. 101156622). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. Swiss participants in this project are supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).