First Meeting of International PARC Project National Hubs Held in Riga

On 26 and 27 April, the first international meeting of the national hubs of the European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (PARC) project took place at the Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) Medical Education Technology Centre (METC), bringing together representatives from 23 European countries.

Liene Ņikitina-Zaķe, Director of the RSU Research Department, opened the event followed by an address by Ivars Vanadziņš, Director of the RSU Institute of Occupational Safety and Environmental Health.

One of the activities of the project is to establish national expert groups, known as national hubs, to identify and collect information at the national level that will serve as a basis for further discussions. The hubs are a long-term network for interested countries to exchange essential information, knowledge and state-of-the-art methods for the operation of the project.

The hubs are represented by decision-makers, risk assessors, interested parties and members of the community of researchers, either participating in PARC themselves or elected as external experts. At the European Union level, the national hubs will help ensure meaningful cooperation in the field of risk assessment and management with and between member countries.

The meeting held in Riga was the first time that the national hubs met since the PARC project started. The event brought together representatives from the project countries to discuss issues such as the structure of the national hubs in the member countries, the necessity for training, and future challenges. The meeting also included several group work sessions during which the participants discussed the importance of communication, sustainability, and evaluation of the operation of the hubs.

During the meeting, participants had the opportunity to get to see that RSU is a strong organisation with highly qualified professionals and excellent infrastructure. They also got to see Riga, its architecture, and culture