Brussels, 05/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched a thematic grant call for proposals to improve methodology in risk assessment. Submissions should be received before 6 October this year.
This thematic grant call for EFSA funding is the second of this kind. It involves emerging food risks, mycotoxin mixtures and animal diseases. The aim of the call is to encourage cooperation between EFSA and member states, as well as among member states through the formation of consortia.
EFSA is looking for innovative scientific projects whose results would help increase the sharing of knowledge and scientific expertise in three specific areas: methods and systems for the identification of emerging food risks; integrated methodologies for the risk assessment of mycotoxin mixtures in food and animal feed (toxic composites produced by different kinds of bacteria and mainly pertaining to the Aspergillus, Penicillium and Fusarium species); and output-based methods for the assessment of the freedom of animal disease/infection. These areas have been identified by member states as requiring improved risk assessment.
In 2015, EFSA awarded two grant agreements as a result of a successful first thematic call. The pilot call attracted interest from six consortia, with a total of 34 organisations from 15 countries and enabled the EFSA to fund the INNUENDO and ENGAGE projects on the use of molecular approaches to identify and characterise microbial foodborne pathogens. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)