Jul 23, 2025 | Meet RISK-HUNT3R, News
The whole RISK-HUNT3R consortium convened in June in Helsinki for a truly energizing week, bringing together project members and stakeholders to shape the future of chemical risk assessment.
💡 Across four packed days, we:
- Demonstrated the ASPA workflow for Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA) and showcased the NAM toolbox and linked innovations
- Presented ongoing RISK-HUNT3R NGRA case studies
- Engaged in a thought-provoking panel discussion on the impact of RISK-HUNT3R and ASPA for the European Commission NAM Roadmap
- Explored RISK-HUNT3R sustainability efforts and valorisation strategies for NAM-based NGRA
- Held poster session on RISK-HUNT3R scientific and implementation achievements and enjoyed Junior Scientist speed presentations of NAM innovations
- Showcased the submitted OECD IATA case studies
Reflecting on the ASPA and NAMASTOX, our SRAB member Nicholas Ball (Dow) illustratively explained:
“𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘚𝘗𝘈 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘸𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪. 𝘓𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘴, 𝘦𝘵𝘤. 𝘕𝘈𝘔𝘈𝘚𝘛𝘖𝘟 𝘢𝘭𝘭o𝘸𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺 – 𝘴𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰.”
A huge 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 to all contributors for making this event a true success. The collaboration, insights and dedication witnessed here will shape the next steps in the journey toward human-relevant, sustainable safety science.
Jul 23, 2025 | Meet RISK-HUNT3R
Last June, the third workshop on the 𝑹𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒎𝒂𝒑 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒔𝒂𝒇𝒆𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 European Commission’s took place in Helsinki, at the European Chemicals Agency, as a key step in the EU efforts to move beyond animal testing and embrace methods that are more relevant to human health.
Three working groups presented short- and long-term actions to accelerate the adoption of modern, animal free testing approaches -NAMs- while maintaining high standards in chemical safety.
ASPIS cluster and RISK-HUNT3R partners along with representatives from EU agencies, industry, academia, NGOs and regulatory bodies actively contributed to shaping the outcomes presented, aiming to:
- Promote the progress and official acceptance of New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) within regulatory frameworks
- Guarantee high-quality, science-based safety assessments that protect both human health and the environment
- Facilitate a smooth and coordinated transition within the EU regulatory landscape
- Shape final recommendations for the roadmap, which is planned for release in early 2026!
🎥 Workshop presentations and discussion are available here: Day 1 and Day 2.
We look forward to further collaboration and shared knowledge to drive the transition to non-animal methods throughout Europe!
Jun 11, 2025 | Meet RISK-HUNT3R
After dedicated efforts behind the scenes, the ASPA-NGRA expert workshop finally took place in Berlin two weeks ago, bringing together a dynamic group of scientists, regulators, and stakeholders for two days of focused, hands-on discussions. The event centered on refining and applying the ASPA workflow within real-world Next-Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA) contexts.
The workshop created a highly collaborative environment, sparking meaningful exchanges on how the ASPA framework can effectively support regulatory decision-making and help accelerate the transition toward a more human-relevant, animal-free approach to chemical safety assessment.
We extend our sincere thanks to all participants for their engagement and expertise, which greatly contributed to the success of the event. Special recognition goes to Mirjam Luijten (RIVM National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) and Matthias Herzler (BfR – German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) for their leading roles in organizing and shaping the scientific program, along with the local BfR organizing team for their outstanding logistical support.
We are also grateful to our consortium partners for their valuable contributions, including Bob van de Water (Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, University of Leiden), Marcel Leist (University of Konstanz), and our colleagues from the broader ASPIS cluster, Rafael Gozalbes (ONTOX) and John Colbourne (PrecisionTox), who delivered insightful presentations.
The discussions led to the identification of clear follow-up actions, and we are excited to continue advancing this important work in the weeks to come.
Stay tuned for further updates as the ASPA-NGRA initiative progresses.
May 27, 2025 | Meet RISK-HUNT3R, News
After months of preparation, the ASPA-NGRA Workshop is finally taking place – 27–28 May at the BfR in Berlin!
Hosted by RISK-HUNT3R and co-organised by EFSA, ECHA, OECD, JRC, EPA, NIH/NIEHS, ONTOX, PrecisionTox, and BfR, it will bring together international experts and stakeholders to critically assess the ASPA workflow for NGRA, ensuring it aligns with the emerging needs of regulatory acceptance for chemical safety in next-generation risk assessment (NGRA).
ASPA is the interactive NGRA workflow that guides users through all steps and decisions of a risk assessment process. It aims to drive consistency and reproducibility in decision-making and is designed to support regulatory and industry stakeholders in the transition towards a safer, animal-free hazard and risk assessment framework.
🔗 Learn more about ASPA
We look forward to inspiring discussion, collaboration, and forward-thinking progress.
Stay updated for the workshop outcome!
Apr 14, 2025 | Meet RISK-HUNT3R, News
The RISK-HUNT3R project is very happy to invite you to the third edition of its public Stakeholder Symposium, taking place on 17-18 June 2025 in Helsinki, Finland. The Symposium will provide an overview of the ASPA NGRA workflow and linked case studies, as well as the developed integrative NAM toolbox, to outline the current scientific state of the art in next-generation risk assessment (NGRA) and what is needed.
This event follows the 3rd Conference on the Roadmap Towards Phasing Out Animal Testing for Chemical Safety Assessments, organised by the European Commission on 16-17 June 2025 in Helsinki.
Feb 28, 2025 | Meet RISK-HUNT3R, News
The RISK-HUNT3R consortium meeting in Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands on 10-13 February 2025 fostered engaging discussions and provided insightful feedback from our Scientific and Regulatory Advisory Board members. Their contributions have helped refine the project’s case studies and further shape our interactive NGRA workflow – ASPA.
With renewed commitment to collaboration and progress, we look forward to the ASPA-NGRA workshop in May, where we will engage with a wide network of experts to further develop ASPA and explore its application across a wide range of chemicals risk assessment.
See you next time in Helsinki!
