Join LRI to celebrate 20 Years advancing Chemical Risk Assessment

The 20th Annual Cefic-LRI (Long-Range Research Initiative) Programme workshop will take place on 14 and 15 November 2018, at Le Plaza Hotel, in Brussels. To mark the 20th anniversary of the LRI programme this milestone event will take the theme “20 Years of LRI Advancing Risk Assessment”.

For the past two decades, LRI has fostered innovative research to improve science-based decision-making, built inter-disciplinary and international scientific networks, and engaged with partners around the world to link research to chemical risk assessment practice and policy.

Since its creation in 1999, LRI has funded more than 200 projects to address public and stakeholder concerns about chemical risk both to human health and the environment. It has become a unique source of knowledge and tools, and has established itself as a leader in chemical safety assessment research.

Gala event

The 20th anniversary event commences on the evening of November 14 with an invited poster session and a networking cocktail, followed by a Red Carpet Gala Dinner for the 2018 LRI Innovative Science Award ceremony.

The award presentation session will be chaired by a former winner, Dr. Roger Godschalk from Maastricht University and will feature a presentation on the results of the 2017 award “DOREMI: DOse REsponse to MIxtures” by Dr Spyros Karakitsios (pictured above) of the Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, as well as the presentation of the 2018 LRI Innovative Science Award.

All day workshop

On Thursday, 15 November, the main workshop will feature presentations and posters on the most recent LRI research projects.

An initial plenary presentation will review LRI achievements over the past 20 years and look forward to future challenges with Dr Heli Hollnagel of Dow, Chair of the Cefic LRI Issue Team. This will be followed by two plenary sessions before and after lunch. 

The first session will cover LRI projects impact with a focus on environmental effects and fate, methodology and prediction, industrial exposure assessment, systemic repeated dose toxicity and developmental toxicity. The second session will feature projects working on exposure and

predictive toxicity.

A draft workshop programme is available here and you can register via this link. The Cefic-LRI workshop is a must-attend event for the scientific community and an excellent networking opportunity for policymakers.Registration to this event is free.

More information

For enquiries related to the workshop, please contact Dr. Bruno Hubesch, LRI Programme Consultant or Dr. Océane Albert, LRI Programme Manager.

More rebel thinkers required for 2017 LRI Award!

Are you a real rebel thinker? Do you have a great idea for novel research in human health or environmental risk assessment? Then apply now for the Cefic-LRI Innovative Science Award 2017. But be quick - the closing date for applications is 19 March 2017.

The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), in conjunction with the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), ), the Association of European Toxicologists and European Societies of Toxicology (EUROTOX), and the International Society of Exposure Sciences (ISES) is offering a €100,000 award to support promising new research in the field of dose-response of synergy in combined exposure to humans or environmental species. But you must apply by 19 March 2017!

New approaches to synergy needed
The risk assessment of combined exposures to multiple chemicals is largely based on the assumption that effects of chemicals acting via the same Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) / Mode of Action (MoA) can be estimated based on dose-addition, and that different AOPs/MoAs can be accounted for by response-addition models. The interaction of multiple chemicals that result in more-than-additive adverse effects (‘synergy’) is assumed to be rare and is mostly described for toxicokinetic interactions of pharmaceuticals at high doses.

Beyond the question of whether synergy can occur or not, the synergy dose-response is highly relevant for the risk assessment of moderate to low co-exposures to either humans or environmental species. But today our knowledge on the relevance of both exposure levels and mixture ratios on the occurrence and degree of synergy is limited.

So for 2017 the LRI Award is looking for new approaches and techniques that, in characterising synergy dose-response, will improve risk assessment of chemical co-exposures at environmentally relevant exposure levels. These could include:

• Experimental approaches to examine the dose-response of more-than-additive interactions of chemicals in relevant models of environmental or human health effect assessment
• Structure-activity modelling
• Mathematical modelling to integrate mechanistic and/or kinetic knowledge and experimental data from different models

Award objectives
The objective of this LRI Award is to stimulate innovative research, ‘out-of-the-box’ thinking and new approaches which will advance the development and application of new and existing approaches in the assessment of chemical safety.

The research should be complementary to the Long-range Research Initiative’s (LRI) objectives. LRI is a chemical industry funded programme that aims at enhancing scientific knowledge to help protect health and the environment.

The award is intended for a European-based scientist with less than ten years post-doctoral experience. Active involvement in interdisciplinary research, current academic track record, and access to appropriate networks will be considered in the selection. There is no age limit for applicants.

Applicants must submit a two-page project proposal by mid- March. Short-listed researchers are then requested to send in a more detailed description of their work, after which the three finalists are selected to present their proposal before a jury panel in Brussels. This year the final selection in Brussels will be on June 2017.

The winning proposal of the LRI Innovative Science Award will be officially presented at the LRI Annual Workshop on 15 November 2017. The 2017 Awardee will be expected to present the results of the research supported by the Award at the LRI Annual Workshop in November 2018.

The Cefic-LRI Innovative Science Award was established in 2004 to inspire highly innovative and industry relevant projects in biomedical toxicology and ecotoxicology led by promisingly early career scientists. The prize of € 100 000 has been awarded annually ever since - boosting the careers of twelve younger European scientists in the challenging fields with which LRI is engaged.

For more details on the Cefic-LRI award and how to apply visit the awards web page or email the Cefic-LRI secretariat.

What is LRI?

The Long-range Research Initiative (LRI) programme is a major voluntary initiative of the European chemical industry to support the long-term sustainability of its sector and European society. Through the programme we hope to identify the hazards posed by chemicals and improve the methods available for assessing the associated risks.

The LRI sponsors high-quality research of a standard publishable in a reputable peer-reviewed journal, and seeks to provide sound scientific advice on which industry and regulatory bodies can draw-on to respond quickly and accurately to public concerns.

LRI Innovative Science Award Video

A new video captures the importance of the LRI Innovative Science award to early-career scientists. The LRI Innovative Science award, the largest European health and environment research grant award, gives early career scientists complete freedom to develop their breakthrough ideas, find new approaches to tackle risk assessment and help reduce uncertainty in relation to chemicals safety.

In the new video the winners of the 2014 and 2013 LRI award talk about their winning proposals, the potential impact of their research, future plans and overall experience after receiving an LRI grant.



Dr. Alexandra Antunes of the Instituto Superior Técnico, winner of the 2014 LRI award, is investigating a novel way to detect chemically induced cancers and predict the carcinogenic potential of chemicals. Alexandra’s award-winning research idea was also featured on the Horizon 2020 Projects Publication, an online initiative that provides timely and invaluable information regarding the European Commission’s latest and largest ever research and innovation framework programme.

Dr. Sabine Langie of the Flemish Institute for Technological Research, winner of the 2013 LRI award, investigates respiratory allergies in childhood caused by environmental exposure.

More information
To find out more about the LRI Innovative Science award and past winners visit the LRI website. The competition for 2015 is now open and the deadline for applications is 17 March. Find out more, including how to enter the competition here.

LRI Workshop: Science-led Decision-Making

Cefic’s Long-range Research Initiative (LRI) programme will hold its 15th annual workshop on 20-21 November 2013 in Brussels and registration is now open. This year’s workshop is titled: “Science-informed decision making: are we on track?”

The workshop’s objective is to demonstrate to scientists, academia, regulators and stakeholders the value that the LRI programme has created and to present its future direction. The workshop will commence on the evening of November 20 with a poster exhibition and dinner at the Sheraton Brussels hotel.

The event aims to examine in particular how science and scientific thinking can contribute to a decision-making process which ensures that future policies and initiatives are based on a holistic view and a realistic assessment of all the relevant data.

On November 21, the morning session of the workshop will discuss new results from the programme’s current project portfolio. The workshop will focus on key areas including thresholds of concern, bio-monitoring, domestic exposure, endocrine disruption, nanomaterials, toxicogenomics and sediment testing.

Innovative Science
In the afternoon, the workshop will continue with the official ceremony for the prestigious Cefic-LRI Innovative Science Award for early career scientists. This will be followed by presentations from external stakeholders (European Commission, European Parliament and specialised media) on the subject of science-informed decision making. The venue for the workshop will be the International Auditorium, Boulevard du Roi Albert II 5, Brussels.

A highlight of the workshop will be a presentation by Dr. Sabine Langie (left) of the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO). Dr. Langie is this year’s winner of the Cefic-LRI Innovative Science Award worth € 100 000. The award will help fund her studies on the environmental programming of respiratory allergy in childhood and, specifically, the effect of exposure on DNA methylation. The overall goal of the research is to provide new levels of insight into the molecular mechanism underlying the effect of prenatal exposure on childrens’ allergy risk. The objective of Dr Langie’s research falls within one of the main priorities of the Global ICCA-LRI Research Strategy: to improve our understanding of exposure to chemicals and their effect on health. The research is also highly relevant to European strategy priorities on public health and the Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan in Europe (CEHAPE).

Science for Policy Impact
The LRI programme is one of the major voluntary initiatives of the European chemical industry to support its competitiveness and innovation potential. LRI aims to identify hazards posed by chemicals and to improve the methods available for assessing any associated risks.

LRI strives to have a policy impact for its scientific research. It is acknowledged as a preferred partner to provide industry inputs in scientific debates for our stakeholders, particularly on the regulatory side.

In particular LRI engaged with the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) to develop a better understanding of the use of alternatives in the context of REACH (the European regulation on chemical products) context, resulting in a collaborative workshop on acceptance of read-across methodology in late 2012. On the basis of that success, LRI initiated a further collaboration with ECHA on use of alternative testing (in vitro) for skin sensitization in February 2013.

Dr. Bruno Hubesch, LRI Programme Manager commented: “I believe LRI is an ideal platform to engage with stakeholders on research areas of public interest.”

More information
The LRI workshop will be attended by representatives of the European institutions and bodies, academia and industry and provides an excellent opportunity to network with both scientists and policy makers. For more information visit the Cefic-LRI website or contact LRI Programme Manager Bruno Hubesch. The draft programme for the event can be access here and you can register for the event here.