Engagement and cooperation opportunities: The new list of competent organizations - Victoria Villamar

5th Workshop on Scientific Cooperation
                     Madrid, Spain, 05.02.2020

Engagement and cooperation
               opportunities:
   The new list of competent
               organizations

                         Victoria Villamar
  Head of the Engagement and Cooperation Unit

EFSA is

          The reference body for risk assessment of food
          and feed in the European Union. Its work covers
          the entire food chain – from field to fork

          One of the number of bodies that are responsible
          for food safety in Europe

What EFSA does

            Provides independent scientific advice and support for EU risk
            managers and policy makers on food and feed safety

                 Provides independent, timely risk communication

            Promotes scientific cooperation

New Regulatory Framework

Transparency Regulation: main priorities

         Transparency &
                                    Scientific value
         Confidentiality

        Engagement & Risk
                                      Governance
          Communication

Transparency Regulation: main priorities

     A zoom into “Scientific value”

Enhanced flexibility for EFSA scientific production (i.e. staff /
 MSs), namely through:
    => entrusting Art36 organisations with preparatory work,
 including scientific opinions for peer-review by the Panels
    => importance of a fit-for-purpose Art36 List of
 organisations!
More active role of MSs in building EFSA’s pool of experts
Strengthened support to applicants and small/medium
 enterprises
Improved assurance of industry studies underlying EFSA
 scientific outputs

Renewed List of Competent Organisations

                                                                 Objective:
                                                                 to keep the List updated and
                                                                 fit-for-purpose

List of Competent Organisations designated by Member States, also known as the “Article 36 List”,
has been renewed by EFSA’s Management Board on 18 December 2019:
 renewed / updated List of 281 competent organisations designated by all eligible 30
  countries (EU28, Norway and Iceland),
 available online at: https://efsa.force.com/competentorganisations/s/, at this EFSA`s
  page:_http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/partnersnetworks/scorg.

Competence distribution in Art36 List

                                        Organisations
                                        included in the List
                                        are designated by MS
                                        in fields of EFSA`s mission

                                        Here depicted distribution
                                        as high-level 13 competences
                                        of EFSA`s Panels

5th Workshop on Scientific Cooperation
                      Madrid, Spain, 05.02.2020

 Engagement and cooperation
               opportunities:
The Risk Assessment Research
           Assembly (RARA2)

                          Victoria Villamar
   Head of the Engagement and Cooperation Unit

Scientific cooperation objectives

                                     Create efficiencies via
    Building together the
                                     synergies and by
    future of RA in Europe
                                     avoiding overlaps
                          I                               II

    Avoid divergent                 Avoid duplications &
    opinions or                     fragmentation of
    discrepancies                   request/activities with
                                    the AF
                         III                              IV

THE EU-RISK ASSESSMENT AGENDA (EU-RAA)

 EU-RAA: long-term project set in 2016 under EFSA
 Strategy 2020

 Pooling of project ideas on MS food safety priority
 areas of work (Delphi study)

 Promotion of partnering among MS organisations
 => avoid duplication, enable capacity building

 Identification of synergic actions with EU Agencies,
 International Organisations, etc.

 Support identification of funding opportunities

EU-RAA - MAIN MILESTONES ACHIEVED

Setting of 28
 joint food                                                        Update /
   safety                        Concrete joint
                                   projects                        review of
priorities by                                                     catalogue
MSs (Delphi                       materialised
                                                                 with new MS
   study)         12.2016                          02.2018       project ideas    12.2020

                   EU-RAA
 03.2016        catalogue with     12.2017         RARA event    09.2019
                                                                                 RARA2 event
                 project ideas                           +                        + Review of
                      +                              Joint AF                       joint AF
                Compilation of                    statement on                   statement on
                   funding                          Research                       Research
                 opportunities

Risk Assessment Research Assembly 2018

                        https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/events/event/180207

                                       Knowledge broker function

                                                     EFSA -
                                   Policy – Risk                    Research
                                                   Knowledge
                                   Management                      Community
                                                     Broker

EFSA Research Platform

Tools
 Funding
  programmes
 Upcoming
  calls
 Partner
  search
 On-going
  research
 Project ideas
 Twitter /
  LinkedIn

 http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/engage/research-platform

Knowledge gaps in Regulatory Science

                       RESEARCH
                         NEEDS

Food Safety Regulatory Research Needs 2030

1. SAFE FOOD SYSTEMS - Improve food safety while moving towards alternative & sustainable production
systems.
 Anticipate impacts on food safety of innovation in food production and food systems. At processing level as well as
  primary production level, hence include animal and plant health.
 Does not suffice to assess risks, but also benefits, impacts and alternatives need to be assessed.
 Preparedness for big social changes related to climate change, migration, and changing consumer choices.

2. INNOVATION IN RISK ASSESSMENT - Anticipating impact of innovations and new technologies on
integrated risk assessment.
 Current approach too resource-intensive, mostly animal-based raising issues of reproducibility and ethics.
 This current RA paradigm is challenged by recent technical advances, and public demands.
 Today, still, we work too much in silo’s, and further research needs an integrated OneHealth approach.

3. HOLISTIC RISK ASSESSMENT - Understanding the context, delivering and communicating impactful science.
 To understand the context, research will focus on understanding citizens’ perceptions and expectations, integrate
  risks and benefits, while at the same time promoting education and mobility of experts.
 Use of big data and AI.
 Intrinsic link between R&I and capacity building.

RARA2020 – Outline

   Target audience
     Wider food safety community / scientists
     New actors from (sustainable) food systems
     EU / Regional / National funders
     Competent authorities (i.e. Article 36 organisations)
     Open to all interested
   Format: 1-day Networking event / satellite mtgs.
   Venue: Milan
   Date: 2 December 2020
   (back-to-back with AF & FP and 3 first cohorts of EU-FORA fellow meetings)

RARA2020 – Draft Objectives

  Building synergies to enable regulatory research
   outputs to support the achievement of the SDGs

  Foster alignment of EU and national (and regional)
   R&I investments to deliver research outputs that inform
   regulatory science and future policies

  Networking and relationship building in the wider
   food safety risk assessment ecosystem

RARA2020 - ToR Programme Committee

  Tasks:
    Agreeing objectives, venue, date, length and format of the event
    Developing the programme of the event and identifying key actors (e.g.
     involving the relevant national, regional & EU research agenda setters /
     funders and the wider risk assessment community (e.g. Article 36
     organisations, academia).
    Preparing supporting actions to the event (e.g. a renewed AF statement)
    Review outputs from event and make recommendations for a future event.

  Members: Ana Canals (ES), Pamela Byrne (IE), Flemming Bager
   / Mourton Poulson (DK), Danica Grahek-Ogden (NO), Karin
   Schlesier (DE), Luis Vivas-Alegre (SANTE) and EFSA (Marta
   Hugas, Stef Bronzwaer, Sergio Potier Rodeia and George Kass)

5th Workshop on Scientific Cooperation
                     Madrid, Spain, 05.02.2020

Engagement and cooperation
             opportunities:

  New calls for EFSA in 2020

                          Victoria Villamar

  Head of the Engagement and Cooperation Unit

EFSA‘s Calls for Proposals (grants)

 Only the organisations included in the List of competent organisations designated by MS
 are eligible to become beneficiaries of EFSA`s grants, i.e.
 awarded EFSA`s contribution (co-financing / subsidy) under EFSA`s grant scheme:

Planned EFSA‘s calls in 2020

  EFSA regularly awards via grant & procurement calls projects that
  contribute to delivery of EFSA’s mission in the areas of data collection,
  preparatory work for scientific opinions, other scientific and technical
  assistance.

  Consult the updated preview of forthcoming open calls advertised on
  the EFSA website: 2020 EFSA Scientific Cooperation plan: calls for tenders
  (procurement) and calls for proposals (grants), incl. the indicative call title,
  budget and timing for launch.

Infographic: Yes we grant! Info on main types of grants available on EFSA’s website

Grants open for consortia of MS organisations

  EFSA grants up to €1.5M in total,         EFSA grants up to €100K per project:
  for 3 themes/lots:
  1. Gut microbiomes (human and             CAPACITY BUILDING in MS in the
     animal)*                               EFSA`s priority areas
  2. Environmental microbiomes
     (plants, animals, soil)*               i)
     *risk assessment of chemical and
  biological hazards
  3. Hot Spots for plant pests              ii)
  introductions: an integrated analysis
  to better prepare for plant pests
  invasions
                        50:50 co-financing of `eligible costs`
                     consortia of MS competent organisations

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