The PARC Project at a Glance

PARC—the European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals—is a European Union initiative involving Member States and associated countries, in collaboration with public partners (European and national risk management agencies, universities, public research organizations) that aims to support the development and implementation of a program of research and innovation activities related to the assessment of risks associated with chemicals.

It is a seven-year public-public partnership funded with €400 million under Horizon Europe and co-financed by the European Commission at a rate of 50%. As part of the project’s implementation, Santé publique France has been designated as the lead for the national hub.

Launched last May in France as part of the French Presidency of the European Union, the European Partnership for Chemical Risk Assessment (PARC) brings together nearly 200 scientific partners from 28 countries and European Union agencies.
Its objective is to develop a risk assessment framework for next-generation chemicals to better protect human health and the environment. It also aims to establish a center of excellence for research and innovation in the field of chemical risk assessment at the European level.

Santé publique France participates in the overall governance of the PARC project as:

• Signatory to the consortium agreement

• Member of the Board of Directors

• Co-leader of Work Package 4 on monitoring exposure to chemicals…

• National contact point responsible for coordinating the stakeholder exchange hub

What are the objectives of this national hub?

It addresses the European Commission’s objective of creating, alongside the project’s scientific governance, a forum bringing together high-level stakeholders to provide strategic guidance to the partnership and set research and innovation priorities regarding chemical risk assessment.

Its work will also aim to contribute to the development of synergies with national initiatives and to inform discussions regarding the projects presented.

Its main objectives:

• to ensure that the scientific guidance provided to projects aligns with national priorities and, where appropriate, to propose directions for certain projects,

• meet the partnership’s objectives regarding data accessibility and dissemination of results,

• discuss proposals from stakeholders,

• identify key aspects of the partnership project to communicate,

• adapt the communication plan to address public concerns.

First step: co-development of the charter establishing the organizational and operational procedures

The participation of external stakeholders, as well as all organizational and management procedures for the hub, will be outlined in a charter that was the subject of initial discussions during this first meeting. Once finalized, it will be signed by all members and will serve as the foundation for discussions and work.

Who are the hub’s members?

The call for expressions of interest launched last spring enabled the selection of stakeholders interested in the partnership who make up this French hub. The applications were reviewed by a joint committee of ANSES and Santé publique France.

The selection of participants was based on the information provided in the letter of intent, the alignment of their areas of expertise with PARC topics related to chemical risk, and the necessary multidisciplinary and diverse composition of the group to address all the issues raised within the hub.

Today, the hub brings together all relevant French stakeholders: Ministries (Ministry of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation; Directorate General for Health; Directorate General for Labor; Ministry of Agriculture and Food; Ministry of Ecological Transition), 15 institutions, and 17 external stakeholders; its composition may be expanded based on the work carried out within the project: