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

31 May - 1 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.

Watch live

Send questions

The web stream and Q&A will open at 9:00 AM (EEST, GMT +3) on 31 May.

Ask questions

You can send questions to the panel using the Slido window above or here. We will answer as many as possible during the panel discussions. 

For any practical questions about the workshop, contact us.

Recording and presentations

The recording will be available as soon as the stream ends.

You can download the slides from this page on the day of the event.

Draft programme

 

Wednesday 31 May
Session 1: Hazard assessment for industrial chemicals: regulatory landscape and identifying critical needs
09:00 - 10:15
  • 09:00-09:10: Welcome and opening - Sharon McGuinness, ECHA
  • 09:10-09:20: Introductory words - Tilly Metz, MEP
  • 09:20-09:30: Introductory words - Kristin Schreiber, European Commission (DG GROW)
  • 09:30-09:45: System for regulating industrial chemicals in the EU: current status, anticipated changes, and long-term vision - Cristina de Avila, European Commission (DG ENV)
  • 09:45-10:00: ECHA perspective including recent findings from Art 117.3 - Ofelia Bercaru, ECHA
  • 10:00-10:15: International perspective - Patience Browne, OECD
10:15-10:45 Coffee break
10:45-11:15
  • 10:45-10:55: Industry perspective - Chantal Smulders, CEFIC
  • 10:55-11:05: Animal welfare NGO perspective - Julia Baines, PETA
  • 11:05-11:15: Environmental NGO perspective - Natacha Cingotti, HEAL
11:15-12:30 Panel discussion
12:30-13:30 Lunch break
 

Wednesday 31 May
Session 2: Opportunities for increasing the use of new approach methodologies under the current chemical regulatory systems
13:30-14:30
  • 13:30-13:45: Current EU requirements for the assessment of chemicals - challenges in current regulatory endpoints and opportunities for new approach methodologies: ECVAM perspective - Elisabet Berggren, JRC
  • 13:45-14:00: Current REACH revision including changes in SIRs and Annex XI: status, implications - Katrin Schutte, European Commission (DG ENV)
  • 14:00-14:15: Critical regulatory needs with proposals for short and mid-term solutions to increase the use of new approach methodologies under the current system - Tomasz Sobanski, ECHA
  • 14:15-14:30: Evolving Validation to better address regulatory use - João Barroso, JRC
14:30-15:30 Panel discussion
15:30-16:00 Coffee break
16:00-18:00

  • Short perspectives on current status and short- to long-term opportunities

    • 16:00-16:15: Repeat Dose Toxicity - Mounir Bouhifd, ECHA

    • 16:15-16:30: Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity -  Professor Aldert Piersma, RIVM

    • 16:30-16:45: Carcinogenicity - Harm Heusinkveld, RIVM

    • 16:45-17:00: Endocrine Disruption - Pim Leonards, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    • 17:00-17:15: Chronic Fish - Professor Kristin Schirmer, EAWAG

  • 17:15-17:30: Q&A

  • 17:30-18:00: Moving past measuring adversity in an intact organism - Rusty Thomas, US EPA
18:00 Networking reception
 

Thursday 1 June
Session 3: Looking beyond current regulatory settings for a completely animal-free system
09:00-10:00

  • 09:00-09:20: Beyond REACH: DG GROW perspective for moving towards animal-free regulations - Georg Streck, European Commission (DG GROW)

  • 09:20-09:40: Accelerating the Transition to Animal-Free Innovation - Merel Ritskes-Hoitinga, Utrecht University

  • 09:40-10:00: EPAA perspective - Gavin Maxwell, EPAA
10:00-10:30 Panel discussion
10:30-11:00 Coffee break
11:00-11:40

  • Challenges and opportunities for implementing new approach methodologies in a regulatory context: Perspectives from current research initiatives: 

    • 11:00-11:10: Mark Viant, University of Birmingham
    • 11:10-11:20: Blanca Serrano Ramon, ECETOC
    • 11:20-11:30: George Kass, EFSA
    • 11:30-11:40: Matthias Herzler, BFR
11:40-12:30 Panel discussion
12:30-13:30 Lunch break
 

Thursday 1 June
Session 4: Conclusions
13:30-14:30
  • Key conclusions and next steps: panel discussion
14:30-14:40
  • Closing remarks - Ofelia Bercaru, ECHA
14:40 End of the workshop


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

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