PARC has submitted its phasing-out strategy to the European Commission on 20 March 2026, marking an important milestone in ensuring the long-term sustainability of its activities and impact.

The European Commission has reviewed the strategy and confirmed that it is in alignment with the provided guidelines and Horizon Europe legal requirements. The Commission also acknowledged the forward-looking approach of the document and encouraged PARC to continue refining it as a living document, regularly updated in response to evolving policy needs. The partnership can now proceed with its formal adoption. In line with requirements, the strategy outlines how PARC’s achievements can be sustained beyond Framework Programme funding, relying on a combination of national, European (outside of the Framework Programme), and other funding sources.

Since its launch, PARC has contributed to strengthening the European Union’s leadership in chemical safety, while protecting human health and the environment through a One Health approach. The partnership has delivered significant scientific and regulatory outputs and demonstrated the value of integrating different components of chemical risk assessment. Beyond these outputs, PARC has established a strong European collaboration network, bringing together risk assessors, public health and environmental authorities, researchers, and policymakers. It has also developed a structured science-to-policy interface, coordinated prioritisation mechanisms, and innovative tools such as the Rapid Response Mechanism to address emerging challenges.

The strategy highlights that preserving these systemic achievements is as important as maintaining individual tools, data, and resources. There is broad consensus among PARC partners that these activities need to be continued beyond Horizon Europe funding through sustainable frameworks. Given the diversity of PARC activities - from human biomonitoring and environmental monitoring to hazard assessment, risk assessment, data management, modelling, and Safe and Sustainable by Design - no single sustainability model can address all needs. Instead, the strategy proposes a multi-scenario approach, combining different thematic sustainability frameworks under an overarching European coordination structure.

Three scenarios are presented, reflecting different levels of ambition:

• Scenario A (preferred): continuation and expansion through diverse funding sources and a wide range of actors,
• Scenario B: adapted continuation based primarily on public funding from participating countries and organisations,
• Scenario C: preservation of core achievements and long-term legacy with limited public resources.

Across all scenarios, sustainability is understood as the long-term, continuous, high-quality delivery or legacy of activities, results and impacts. The approach builds on three key pillars: cooperation with EU and national authorities, support through infrastructures and services, and continued involvement of research and academic communities.

The strategy aligns with evolving European policy frameworks, including the One Substance One Assessment ↗ initiative, and will continue to be refined through ongoing discussions within PARC thematic groups and governance bodies.

The March 2026 version of the PARC phasing-out strategy is available here.