Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine
Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine

EFSA specialized trainings on certain aspects of food safety risk assessment

LOT 2: Trainings on horizontal scientific assessment methodologies

EFSA is launching several training activities to enable the understanding and practical implementation of risk/benefit assessment practices, to strengthen the dissemination of scientific risk assessment Guidance Documents and modeling practices, and to ensure the uptake of Guidance Documents on cross-cutting risk assessment approaches already developed by EFSA. The trainings are intended for members of the EFSA Scientific Committee/Panels, their working groups, EFSA staff, EFSA’s networks, and, if eligible from EFSA’s point of view, other interested parties. 

Training modalities will include on-site training courses at EFSA in Parma (Italy) as well as several virtual trainings such as online seminars, e-learning packages and online tutorials.

If you are interested in making use of this training offer, please register by filling in the corresponding registration form. If EFSA considers you eligible, you will be notified a few days after the registration deadline and will receive further information, such as your log-in data for the e-learning platform, in due time. The online tutorial will be publicly available and requires no registration; the link will be shared here, once the tutorial is online. 

Overview training topics

These are the topics of the training period 2024-2026, planned as e-learnings or virtual seminars. For open registrations, please see "upcoming training courses".

1. The EFSA scientific assessment principles and process

  • Protocol development
     

2. How to identify, characterize and communicate uncertainties in EFSA’s scientific assessments
 

3. Use of new-approach methodologies (e.g. in-silico and in-vitro tools) in chemical risk assessment

  • In-silico models and other relevant modeling approaches
  • AOP and approaches for using mechanistic understanding for risk assessment
  • Evidence integration in the IATA framework, focusing on the AOP informed IATA approach on NAMs to address the data gaps identified  during the iterative process
     

4. Principles of human health risk-benefit assessment of foods

  • The risk-benefit assessment framework 
  • Microbiological and toxicological risk assessment

Upcoming training courses

More information on upcoming courses and registration.

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  • About this course

    Virtual seminar under topic 1 "The EFSA scientific assessment principles and process": The focus of this course is to give an overview on EFSA’s principles and processes on protocol development for scientific assessments of non-application mandates elucidating the different steps by recent real case and educational examples.

    Protocols illustrate a priori the aim of the scientific assessment and the methods for carrying it out. EFSA’s Scientific Committee guidance (GD) on protocol development (PD) describes a flexible framework for PD for EFSA's "generic mandates", i.e., those unrelated to regulated product evaluations for market authorizations. The GD on PD was published in 2023, and several projects have already followed the general rules described therein. This course is suitable for all those interested in learning how to develop a protocol for a scientific assessment in food and feed safety and not necessarily only for the purpose of an EFSA assessment. Although EFSA’s framework for PD was conceived for "generic mandates", the training can also be useful for planning an assessment of regulated products, when the relevant scientific and regulatory framework does not fully detail the data requirements and/or the methods for collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing data. 

     

    Learning objectives

    At the end of the training, participants will have a clear understanding of the phases of the scientific assessment process at EFSA, the importance of protocol development and the need for flexibility in EFSA’s protocols to produce fit-for-purpose scientific advice. Participants will also become familiar with the two main steps in PD: 

    • Step 1: Problem formulation, which illustrates the objectives of the assessment. Here, participants will learn a new approach for (sub-)question formulation called the "APRIO" paradigm (Agent, Pathway, Receptor, Intervention, and Output). 
    • Step 2: Specification of the evidence needs and the methods for answering the assessment (sub-)questions, including uncertainty analysis.

     

    Who will be admitted?

    This virtual seminar is open for EFSA’s Scientific Committee/Panels and their working groups and members of the EFSA Networks. This course is also available for members of other European agencies and European institutions on the List of Competent Organizations (also known as Article 36 List) that are eligible to receive EFSA’s grants. Registrants from other affiliations are not eligible. EFSA reserves the right to select the trainees from all registered persons. If the number of eligible registrants exceeds the number of available places, the first-come, first served principle will be applied. After the registration deadline, all registrants will be informed, and the selected trainees will receive login data for the e-learning platform.

    Tutors

    • Monika Batke (freelancer)
    • Martin F. Wilks (freelancer)

    Location and date

    Location: online - webinar and e-learning platform

    Training period: January 26-29, 2026; 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

    Exact times will be communicated to participants in due time.

     

    Registration and costs

    • Registration deadline: January 12, 2025
    • This training is free of charge.
    • EFSA reserves the right to select the trainees from all registered persons. If the number of eligible registrants exceeds the number of available places, the first-come, first-served principle will be applied.
    • After the registration deadline, all registrants will be informed by January 19 at the latest, and the selected trainees will receive login data for the e-learning platform.
    • Who will be admitted? Please see information above.

    To the registration form of the virtual seminar "Protocol development"

  • About this course

    E-learning under topic 4 "Principles of human health risk-benefit assessment of foods": This self-paced e-learning course offers a practical introduction to the r5isk-benefit assessment (RBA) of foods, a decision-support tool that assesses the combined beneficial and adverse health effects of foods, diets, or food components.

    Risk-benefit assessment (RBA) of foods is a decision-support tool that assesses the combined beneficial and adverse health effects of foods, diets, or food components. It integrates knowledge on nutrition, toxicology, microbiology, and human epidemiology for comprehensive health impact assessments. RBA is thus useful to inform food safety policies or to provide dietary advice based on an integration of the available scientific knowledge. 

    This course provides an introduction to microbiological risk assessment and toxicological risk assessment in the context of risk-benefit assessment, discuss the differences and commonalities between the two methodologies and explain how the output of the two methodologies (seen as components as RBA) are integrated for a final quantitative assessment of risks and benefits of foods. The training will include practical exercises and examples to illustrate applications of these methods.

     

    Learning objectives

    By the end of the course, participants will be able to

    • explain how microbiological and toxicological risk assessment are integrated in risk-benefit assessment,
    • describe main differences and commonalities between "microbiological and toxicological risk assessment" or "between risk assessment and risk-benefit assessment",
    • explain how the output of these methods is integrated for quantitative assessments of the risks and benefits of foods.

     

    Who will be admitted?

    This e-learning is open for EFSA’s Scientific Committee/Panels and their working groups and members of the EFSA Networks. This course is also available for members of other European agencies and European institutions on the List of Competent Organizations (also known as Article 36 List) that are eligible to receive EFSA’s grants. Registrants from other affiliations are not eligible. EFSA reserves the right to select the trainees from all registered persons. If the number of eligible registrants exceeds the number of available places, the first-come, first served principle will be applied. After the registration deadline, all registrants will be informed, and the selected trainees will receive login data for the e-learning platform.

    Tutor

    • Sara Monteiro Pires (DTU)

    Location and date

    Location: online - webinar and e-learning platform

    Training period: January 15 - March 15, 2026

    Webinars with tutors: tbd. (dates and times for the webinars will be communicated to participants in due time)

    Except for the webinars with the tutors, the e-learning can be accessed at any time during the training period.

    Registration and costs

    • Registration deadline: January 5, 2025
    • This training is free of charge.
    • EFSA reserves the right to select the trainees from all registered persons. If the number of eligible registrants exceeds the number of available places, the first-come, first-served principle will be applied.
    • After the registration deadline, all registrants will be informed by mid of January 2026, and the selected trainees will receive login data for the e-learning platform.
    • Who will be admitted? Please see information above.

    To the registration form of the e-learning "Microbiological and chemical risk integration in risk-benefit assessment"

  • About this course

    E-learning under topic 1 "The EFSA scientific assessment principles and process": The focus of this course is to give an overview on EFSA’s principles and processes on protocol development for scientific assessments of non-application mandates elucidating the different steps by recent real case and educational examples.

    Protocols illustrate a priori the aim of the scientific assessment and the methods for carrying it out. EFSA’s Scientific Committee guidance (GD) on protocol development (PD) describes a flexible framework for PD for EFSA's "generic mandates", i.e., those unrelated to regulated product evaluations for market authorizations. The GD on PD was published in 2023, and several projects have already followed the general rules described therein. This course is suitable for all those interested in learning how to develop a protocol for a scientific assessment in food and feed safety and not necessarily only for the purpose of an EFSA assessment. Although EFSA’s framework for PD was conceived for "generic mandates", the training can also be useful for planning an assessment of regulated products, when the relevant scientific and regulatory framework does not fully detail the data requirements and/or the methods for collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing data. 

     

    Learning objectives

    At the end of the training, participants will have a clear understanding of the phases of the scientific assessment process at EFSA, the importance of protocol development and the need for flexibility in EFSA’s protocols to produce fit-for-purpose scientific advice. Participants will also become familiar with the two main steps in PD: 

    • Step 1: Problem formulation, which illustrates the objectives of the assessment. Here, participants will learn a new approach for (sub-)question formulation called the "APRIO" paradigm (Agent, Pathway, Receptor, Intervention, and Output). 
    • Step 2: Specification of the evidence needs and the methods for answering the assessment (sub-)questions, including uncertainty analysis.

     

    Who will be admitted?

    This e-learning is open for EFSA’s Scientific Committee/Panels and their working groups and members of the EFSA Networks. This course is also available for members of other European agencies and European institutions on the List of Competent Organizations (also known as Article 36 List) that are eligible to receive EFSA’s grants. Registrants from other affiliations are not eligible. EFSA reserves the right to select the trainees from all registered persons. If the number of eligible registrants exceeds the number of available places, the first-come, first served principle will be applied. After the registration deadline, all registrants will be informed, and the selected trainees will receive login data for the e-learning platform.

    Tutors

    • Monika Batke (freelancer)
    • Martin F. Wilks (freelancer)

    Location and date

    Location: online - webinar and e-learning platform

    Training period: February 15 - April 15, 2026

    Webinars with tutors: tbd. (dates and times will be communicated to participants in due time)

    Except for the webinars with the tutors, the e-learning can be accessed at any time during the training period.

    Registration and costs

    • Registration deadline: February 2, 2026
    • This training is free of charge.
    • EFSA reserves the right to select the trainees from all registered persons. If the number of eligible registrants exceeds the number of available places, the first-come, first-served principle will be applied.
    • After the registration deadline, all registrants will be informed by mid of January 2026, and the selected trainees will receive login data for the e-learning platform.
    • Who will be admitted? Please see information above.

    To the registration form of the e-learning "Protocol development"

Your contacts at Fraunhofer ITEM

Please do not hesitate to contact us, if you have any questions.

Sylvia Escher

Contact Press / Media

Dr. Sylvia Escher

Training coordinator

Phone +49 511 5350-330

Judith Oumard

Contact Press / Media

Judith Oumard

Contact person for organizational questions

Phone +49 511 5350-135