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New approach methodologies workshop: Towards an animal free regulatory system for industrial chemicals

31 May - 01 June 2023 | ECHA, Helsinki


As part of its commitment to support the transition to an animal free regulatory system, ECHA is organising a workshop to discuss critical needs to enable faster progress.

The workshop will be an opportunity to bring stakeholders together and develop a common understanding of what new approach methodologies (NAMs), can achieve in the short and long term.

Participation

Up to 150 participants will be invited to join in person.

Plenary sessions will be webstreamed and the recordings and presentations published after the event.

Programme

Wednesday 31 May
Session 1: Hazard assessment for industrial chemicals: regulatory landscape and identifying critical needs

  • Welcome and opening (TBC) 
  • Short introduction (Tilly Metz, Member of the European Parliament)
  • System for regulating industrial chemicals in the EU: status, expected changes, and long-term vision (European Commission) 
  • Current REACH revision including changes in standard information requirements and Annex XI: status, implications (European Commission) 
  • ECHA perspective including recent findings from our report on alternatives to animal testing (Article 117(3)) (ECHA) 
  • International perspective (OECD)
  • Industry perspective (CEFIC) 
  • Animal welfare perspective (PETA)
  • Environmental perspective (TBC)

Panel discussion: all speakers and moderator

Wednesday 31 May
Session 2: Opportunities for increasing the use of new approach methodologies under the current chemical regulatory systems

  • Current EU requirements for the assessment of chemicals – challenges in regulatory endpoints and opportunities for new approach methodologies (European Commission, Joint Research Centre)
  • Increasing the use of new approach methodologies: critical regulatory needs and proposals for short/mid-term solutions (ECHA)
  • Key regulatory endpoints: status and short to medium-term opportunities (various speakers, TBC)
  • Evolving validation to better address regulatory use (TBC) 

Panel discussion: all speakers and moderator

Thursday 1 June
Session 3: Looking beyond current regulatory settings for a completely animal-free system

  • Moving beyond measuring adversity in an intact organism (TBC)
  • Other considerations when introducing regulatory changes (legal certainty, international harmonisation (mutual acceptance of data), economic impact, ….) (European Commission)
  • Accelerating the transition to animal-free innovation (TBC)
  • Challenges and opportunities for implementing new approach methodologies in a regulatory context: perspectives from current research initiatives  (various speakers, TBC)

Panel discussion: all speakers and moderator

Thursday 1 June
Session 4: Conclusions

  • European Partnership for Alternatives to Animal testing perspective 
    Key conclusions and next steps: moderated panel discussion 


Download the programme

Organising Committee in charge of preparing the workshop programme:

  • Katrin Schutte, European Commission, DG ENV
  • Gavin Maxwell, Industry co-chair European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to animal testing (EPAA)
  • Katia Lacasse, Cefic
  • Julia Baines, PETA Science Consortium International e.V.
  • ECHA secretariat

Further information

ECHA and alternatives to animal testing