The PARC International Board gathered for its second quarterly meeting at ANSES ↗ in Paris, with hybrid participation from PARC Management Board members and invited experts. The meeting focused on strengthening the long-term impact of the partnership through enhanced harmonisation of chemical inventories, the integration of emerging scientific endpoints into risk assessment, and greater global policy engagement.

Discussions highlighted the urgent need for a unified approach to chemical identifiers - such as SMILES and ECHA keys - to support the development of a common European data platform. Members explored proposals for cross-sector harmonisation and metadata standardisation, including the upcoming transversal activities under PARC Work Package 7 on FAIR data.

The integration of DNA repair as a regulatory-relevant mechanism in toxicology was also discussed, with omics-based technologies and epigenetics identified as promising tools to detect mechanistic disruptions. Furthermore, participants addressed the importance of including population-level diversity to better assess community impacts of chemical exposure.

The Board underscored the need to ensure that PARC outputs effectively translate into actionable policy, both within the EU and internationally. This includes facilitating data accessibility, producing more targeted policy briefs, and strengthening national dissemination efforts through the network of National Hubs.

Global engagement was another central theme, with emphasis on expanding PARC’s presence at international conferences and in public health discussions. Future priorities include enhancing collaboration with low- and middle-income countries in the global south, establishing new partnerships with international NGOs and chemical conventions, and mapping existing global networks to improve coordination and stakeholder outreach.

The next International Board meeting is scheduled for autumn 2025.