A note from the Secretary General – Sept 2023

Dear ECETOC Members,

Greetings from an unusually warm and dry September! It’s “back to school" season for everybody and I'd like to share some important updates and upcoming events with you:

1. Strategy Update: We’re immersed in a revision of our current strategy, after thoughtful discussions with the Board and Scientific Committee. While keeping our pillars of sustainability, innovation and science communication in mind, we wanted to ensure it highlights the focus areas where our work can have the most impact. Rest assured, I will be sharing the details of our updated strategy with all members soon. Your input, feedback and participation are invaluable in shaping the future of ECETOC

2. Upcoming Events: Mark your calendars for these upcoming events:

• Exposure Science Workshop in Alicante/hybrid (25-26 October): Join us to help develop a set of practical, actionable recommendations for elevating the role of exposure science in chemical safety assessment in Europe.
• Chronos and Kairos Workshop in Brussels/hybrid (7-8 November): Come discuss the influence of time and level of biological organization (population, organism, tissues, cells etc.) in toxicity testing in next generation risk assessment based on new approach methodologies (NAMs).
• Presentation of the T4 manuscripts on 27 November (in Brussels and online): Hear from the members of the Special T4 Task Force on the results of their 5-year endeavors and their proposal for a testing scheme. If you’re planning to come in person, make sure to stick around for the informal networking reception which will follow, so you can join us in raising a glass to Ben ahead of his last Scientific Committee meeting in his role as Chair.

3. TRA Survey: We're conducting a survey on the use of the TRA tool. If you’re a user of any of the tools (or know someone who is), make sure to fill it in. Your feedback will be instrumental in the further developments of the tools. Also, make sure to watch this space closely, as we’re about to release a new version of the Worker TRA tool, which has been revised to decrease underestimations. More news soon!

4. Partnership with Cefic LRI: We're proud to continue our partnership with Cefic LRI as the key science broker, and we're taking our commitment to the next level with more active project management from our side. Keep an eye out for new calls for proposals from LRI launching this month!

5. More cohesion, more impact. I am very pleased to report that over the past year and a half, I have felt our team grow closer and closer, working seamlessly towards our goals. As we lay the groundwork for the coming year, we are planning our outreach strategy to strengthen ECETOC's collaborations with authorities and presence at international conferences and fora. (On this note, I'll be attending Ricardo’s 50th anniversary on 20-21 September in London and the EPAA Annual Conference 15 of November in Brussels. Will I see you there?)

Thank you for your continued support and engagement with ECETOC and, as always, please drop me a line if there’s anything you’d like to ask me or discuss.

Warm regards,

Blanca

Secretary General, ECETOC