Partnership for the Assessment of Risk from Chemicals (PARC)

The External Link:European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) is a partnership which comprises External Link:over 200 partners from 28 countries and three EU authorities (i. e. External Link:European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), External Link:European Environment Agency (EEA) and External Link:European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)). Half of PARC's funding is provided by the EU through Horizon Europe, the European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. The other half is provided by the respective partner countries. Over the next seven years, the partnership aims to consolidate and strengthen the EU’s research and innovation capacity for chemical risk assessment to protect both human health and the environment.

PARC is a flagship of European toxicological consumer and environmental protection and the first large-scale EU programme with a direct regulatory relevance and special significance for future risk assessment in Europe. In PARC, competent authorities from EU Member States and from outside of the EU, other relevant EU regulatory bodies in the field of chemical risk assessment, but also a significant number of leading research institutions as well as other organisations are represented. In addition, PARC has an explicit regulatory focus to adequately address remaining data gaps, uncertainties and open questions regarding human and environmental toxicology as well as exposure. With new data, knowledge, methods, networks and competences, current and upcoming challenges in the field of chemical safety are to be highlighted and addressed. The seven-year partnership is coordinated by the External Link:French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES).

PARC brings together competent authorities from EU Member States and non-EU countries, other relevant EU regulatory bodies in the area of chemical risk assessment, as well as a significant number of leading research organisations and other organisations.

The seven-year partnership is coordinated by the External Link:French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES).

PARC is organised in nine work packages (WPs) working closely together to achieve three specific objectives (SO):

• SO1 – An EU-wide sustainable cross-disciplinary network to identify and agree on research and innovation needs and to support research uptake into regulatory chemical risk assessment.
• SO2 – Joint EU research and innovation activities responding to identified priorities in support of current regulatory risk assessment processes for chemical substances and to emerging challenges.
• SO3 –?Strengthening existing capacities and building new transdisciplinary platforms to support chemical risk assessment.

The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment is mainly involved in WP2 and WP5 of PARC and, together with the UBAshort forGerman Environment Agency, coordinates the German PARC National Hub (PARC-NH).

If you are interested in further information about PARC and related topics, please feel free to visit the following pages:

External Link:Official PARC website (in English): Here you will find all the information and news about the partnership, as well as the opportunity to subscribe to the PARC newsletter and the PARC Science Digest to stay up to date.

External Link:PARCopedia: PARC's knowledge management and social media platform for the professional risk assessment community.

External Link:PARC flyer (in German): Provides information on the European Partnership for Risk Assessment of Chemicals (PARC).

External Link:PARC review article: ‘European Partnership for Risk Assessment of Chemicals (PARC) – an overview of Germany's contribution’ published in the journal ‘UMID: Umwelt und Mensch – Informationsdienst’ (UMID 1/2024, p. 37).

Duration: 05/2022 - 04/2029

Funding programme / funding institution: European Union (EU) - Belgium

Grant number: 101057014

Project homepage: External Link:http://www.eu-parc.eu