Deadline: 15 January 2011.

Why is ECVAM setting up a stakeholder forum?

ECVAM’s relation with its stakeholder is reciprocal: ECVAM-validated methods help stakeholders comply with regulatory requirements as laid down in EU legislation, provide them with mechanism-based and robust methods to improve their R&D and address the societal concerns regarding animal testing. Equally ECVAM’s output depends on the work and input of its stakeholders. Notably, valuable scientific, technical and societal expertise resides within the stakeholder community.

To strengthen participatory approaches supporting communication and cooperation with the stakeholder community, ECVAM is now creating the ECVAM Stakeholder Forum (ESTAF), which will bring together ECVAM’s non-governmental stakeholders (e.g., industry associations, civil society/non-governmental organisations and research foundations and organisations).

Roles of the ESTAF
ESTAF’s roles will be:

• Advocacy: allow the representation of vested and specific interests, including the voicing of societal concerns (e.g., animal welfare issues, consumer issues, sustainable testing).
• Dialogue: maintain active dialogue in view of sharing and disseminating information on ECVAM’s work and that of stakeholders, discussing ECVAMs activities and harvesting stakeholder expertise and opinion as input into ECVAM’s priority setting.

How will ESTAF be established?
ECVAM is publishing an open invitation addressed to stakeholder organisations that can—if fulfilling the criteria outlined below—submit an expression of interest in the ECVAM Stakeholder Forum (ESTAF).

Which organisations can submit an expression of interest?
All Stakeholder Organisations able to demonstrate that they:

• have a passive or active stake in the area of alternative methods to animal testing, i.e., are affected by or do affect the development (including relevant basic research)/optimisation/validation/use of alternative methods with respect to scientific, technical, societal, ethical or other issues.
• operate on EU-level (exceptions may apply).

Submitting an expression of interest
For preparing and submitting an Expression of Interest please visit ECVAM’s website.

Deadline
Expressions of Interest can be submitted continuously and will be regularly evaluated by ECVAM.

To be taken into account for possible participation in the first meeting of the ESTAF in spring 2011, Expressions of Interest need to be submitted to ECVAM via the official route before 15 January 2011.