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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.

Video interviews

Recordings

Presentations

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 - Video
  • 09:10-09:20: Introductory words - Tilly Metz, MEP - Video
  • 09:20-09:30: Introductory words - Kristin Schreiber, European Commission (DG GROW) - Video
  • 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) - Video | Slides
  • 09:45-10:00: ECHA perspective including recent findings from Art 117.3 - Ofelia Bercaru, ECHA - Video | Slides
  • 10:00-10:15: International perspective - Patience Browne, OECD - Video | Slides
10:15-10:45 Coffee break
10:45-11:15
  • 10:45-10:55: Industry perspective - Chantal Smulders, CEFIC - Video | Slides
  • 10:55-11:05: Animal welfare NGO perspective - Julia Baines, PETA - Video | Slides
  • 11:05-11:15: Environmental NGO perspective - Natacha Cingotti, HEAL - Video | Slides
11:15-12:30 Panel discussion - Video
Moderator: Mercedes Viñas, ECHA
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 - Video | Slides
  • 13:45-14:00: Current REACH revision including changes in SIRs and Annex XI: status, implications - Katrin Schutte, European Commission (DG ENV) - Video | Slides
  • 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 - Video | Slides
  • 14:15-14:30: Evolving Validation to better address regulatory use - João Barroso, JRC - Video | Slides
14:30-15:30 Panel discussion - Video
Moderator: Katia Lacasse, Cefic
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 - Video | Slides

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

    • 16:30-16:45: Carcinogenicity - Harm Heusinkveld, RIVM - Video | Slides

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

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

  • 17:15-17:30: Q&A (Moderator: Tiago Pedrosa, ECHA) - Video

  • 17:30-18:00: Moving past measuring adversity in an intact organism - Rusty Thomas, US EPA - Video | Slides
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) - Video | Slides

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

  • 09:40-10:00: EPAA perspective - Gavin Maxwell, EPAA - Video | Slides
10:00-10:30 Panel discussion - Video
Moderator: Ofelia Bercaru, ECHA
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: 
11:40-12:30 Panel discussion - Video
Moderator: Julia Baines, PETA
12:30-13:30 Lunch break
 

Thursday 1 June
Session 4: Conclusions
13:30-14:30
  • Key conclusions and next steps: panel discussion - Video
    • Moderator: Gavin Maxwell, EPAA

    • Panellists:

      • Julia Baines, PETA
      • Patience Browne, OECD
      • Natacha Cingotti, HEAL
      • Tiago Pedrosa, ECHA
      • Katrin Schutte, Commission - DG ENV
      • Chantal Smulders, Cefic
      • Georg Streck, Commission - DG GROW
      • Mark Viant, University of Birmingham
14:30-14:40
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