On the occasion of its Annual General Meeting, 9 May 2007, ECETOC launched a long-term science strategy that serves as a matrix within which its work programme is carried out during the following five to ten years.

• Why has ECETOC developed a long-term science strategy?
• How did ECETOC develop this strategy?
• What does it involve?
• How is the strategy being implemented?

Why has ECETOC developed a long-term science strategy?

ECETOC believes that by identifying developing issues at their nascence, the chemicals industry is better placed to undertake the appropriate scientific initiatives. An over-arching science strategy serves to guide ECETOC’s science programme in the following five to ten years and marks an issues, rather than activity-based approach.

How did ECETOC develop this strategy?

Representatives of ECETOC member companies came together with stakeholders such as regulators, academics and researchers at the Annual Technical Meeting (Futures Workshop) in May 2006 to brainstorm which subjects, issues and activities they saw as potential challenges for ECETOC in the coming years. Reports from the breakout sessions of this event were collated by a dedicated team of Scientific Committee members, who worked on this valuable input and translated it into this strategy.

What does it involve?

The premise of this strategy is that ECETOC plays an integral role in science in society. Its particular remit is to contribute objective scientific evidence to the debate about the role of chemicals in the causality of disease and assure the process of risk assessment of these chemicals.

Its strategy has the following five broad themes:

1. Presence of chemicals in humans

2. Presence of chemicals in the environment

3. Effects in humans and ecosystems

4. Methods

5. Science of risk assessment.

How is the strategy being implemented?

The strategy provides the guiding principles of each year’s science programme. The progress of each strategic science area is monitored by the Scientific Committee and Board. Specific new actions from each area complement ECETOC’s existing activities. Members of the Scientific Committee are assigned to each scientific area with an overall leader and support from the Secretariat.