More than 50 participants were introduced to the main aspects of the PARC partnership, which aims to significantly reform European research and research collaboration in the area of health risks associated with chemicals and to ensure better use of research data for the protection of the environment and public health from the harmful effects of chemical exposures.
The PARC partnership represents a revolutionary approach to chemical risk assessment based on international coordination and cross-sector collaboration of all relevant actors in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and their availability for decision-making processes at all levels.
Time was allocated for discussion on the structure and strategy of the PARC partnership at the European level and opportunities for linking science and industry, as well as on possibilities for deepening cross-sector collaboration and transferring scientific knowledge into practice at the national level.
The conference consisted of four sections that addressed specific issues of chemical hazards, human exposure, and related risk analysis, as well as the availability and quality of data, their interpretation, modeling, and tools for early identification of future risks (early warning). Participants were also introduced to specific outputs of the PARC partnership, which are already available to government authorities and other institutions involved in risk assessment.
The conference concluded with a round table discussion on the topic of Institutional Anchoring of Risk Assessment in the Czech Republic, moderated by the director of the RECETOX center, Professor Jana Klánová. The discussion on experiences, needs, and opportunities for cooperation between science and policy included contributions from Jiří Guth Jarkovský, Ministerial Counselor of the Ministry of the Environment (MŽP); Kateřina Šebková, Director of the National Center for Toxic Substances; Martin Bunček, Director of the Office of the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic; Marek Vyšinka, Head of the Department for Research Infrastructures at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports; and Přemysl Štěpánek, Head of the Department of International Organizations at MŽP.