The 4^th quarterly meeting of the International Board (IB) marked a productive step forward for the PARC consortium, with members aligning on key organisational and strategic priorities. Discussions focused in particular on the creation of working groups aimed at fostering a more harmonised flow of knowledge across PARC entities, including work packages, the IB and broader governance structures.

The meeting also highlighted the need for clearer and more regular communication on upcoming activities, challenges and opportunities for contribution. Participants agreed that more targeted and visible updates would support stronger engagement, both within the IB and across the wider PARC research community. 

Generation of working groups 

A substantial part of the meeting was dedicated to discussing the structure and focus of strategic working groups. Key thematic areas - public health, data harmonisation and standardisation, and artificial intelligence - were confirmed, reflecting their role as cross-cutting challenges across all PARC themes. Participants emphasised the limitations posed by inconsistent metadata and fragmented standards, particularly in relation to AI development and advanced data reuse.

To avoid duplication of effort, there was strong support for closer links between IB working groups and emerging thematic groups within the Governing Board. Further discussions on this alignment are planned with the Management Board in early 2026. The need for an overarching coordination mechanism was also acknowledged, with several IB members expressing their willingness to contribute to its development. 

Building on previous discussions 

Updates were provided on policy briefs currently under development, as well as on additional topics in preparation. The Board discussed the establishment of a more systematic approach to sharing policy topics and drafts, with the aim of gathering strategic input and strengthening the global relevance of PARC’s policy outputs.

The meeting further reinforced the importance of PARCopedia ↗ as a shared knowledge platform. It was agreed that a dedicated PARCopedia group will be established to better coordinate bilateral information and resource sharing between IB members and the wider PARC community. In addition, potential synergies through SYNnet webinars were identified as a promising avenue to enhance knowledge exchange and expertise sharing. Future work will focus on identifying the most appropriate formats and channels for these activities. 

A call to partners 

Overall, the meeting helped consolidate priorities for the coming months, confirmed the availability of resources to support enhanced coordination, and set a clear direction for strengthening coherence, visibility and strategic impact across PARC activities.

The IB welcomes contributions from PARC partners who wish to propose critical topics for discussion or collaboration. Partners with suggestions or areas of concern that merit IB attention are encouraged to contact Dimosthenis Sarigiannis or Dayna Schultz at secretariatenve-lab [dot] eu.

Your input is essential to ensuring that PARC’s work remains aligned with global needs and continues to advance innovative approaches to chemical safety.