JRC Summer School on Non-Animal Approaches in Science

The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), which runs the EU Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing (EURL ECVAM), is organising a JRC Summer School on "Non-Animal Approaches in Science: Challenges and Future Directions", to be held from 21 to 24 May 2019 at the JRC site in Ispra (Italy).

The aim of the JRC Summer School is to share knowledge and experience on the latest non-animal approaches used in research and testing including in vitro methods and computational modelling.

In addition, the intention is to explore the role of the Three Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of animal experiments) in science today through discussion and debate.

The Summer School is specifically tailored for post-graduate students and early-career scientists working in the biosciences and will focus on non-animal methods and technologies and the opportunities and challenges associated with their application in various fields such as regulatory toxicology and biomedical research.

The programme will combine lectures from experts in the field with plenty of interactive sessions to encourage exchange of views and facilitate networking among participants.

A visit to the EURL ECVAM laboratory is also planned. Participants will be asked to present a poster describing their own studies, interests or work area related to the topics of the Summer School.

Some of the poster abstracts will be selected for flash oral presentations.

Programme

Download the draft programme of the JRC Summer School on Non-Animal Approaches in Science.

Who can participate?

Masters students, PhD students, or early-career scientists (max. 4 years after master) active in fields related to toxicology, biomedical research, alternative methods, exposure science, or risk assessment.

The maximum number of participants is 120.

How to apply?

To apply please submit the following documents to: JRC-F3-SUMMER-SCHOOL@ec.europa.eu by 15 January 2019:

1. A motivation letter, including the name and contact details of a professional reference (a reference letter is not requested)
2. A short CV using the template provided:
   
   2 FEBRUARY 2022

   CV template JRC for Summer School 2019

   English

   (105.5 KB - DOC)

   Download
3. A poster abstract (max 250 words) using the template provided:
   
   2 FEBRUARY 2022

   Abstract template for JRC summer school 2019

   English

   (325 KB - DOC)

   Download

Selection of participants will be based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of current area of study or job
• Clarity and relevance of the motivation letter
• Scientific quality of the poster abstract
• Achieving a balance between nationalities and sex of participants where possible
• Priority will be given to applicants who did not attend the previous edition (2017) of the summer school

Important dates

• Closing date for applications: 15 January 2019
• Decisions on acceptance will be announced by email on 15 February 2019
• Online registration will be open from 16 February 2019 to 4 April 2019

Course information

Date & time

Tuesday 21 May 12:00 to Friday 24 May 14:00

Venue

European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra (Varese), Italy

Costs

No conference fee will be charged. However participants will need to cover the costs of their travel, accommodation and daily subsistence.

The JRC will provide practical assistance in booking reasonably-priced accommodation in the local area and arrange local transportation according to a fixed timetable.

We thank the following organisations for offering a number of travel grants. Details on how to apply will be sent to the accepted participants.

• European Society Animal Cell Technology (ESACT)
• European Society of Toxicology In Vitro (ESTIV)
• Human Toxicology Project Consortium (HTPC)
• Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet
• PETA International Science Consortium Ltd. (PISC)

Language

The official language of the summer school is English.

Please direct all enquiries to JRC-F3-SUMMER-SCHOOL@ec.europa.eu

Related Content

Draft Agenda JRC Summer School on Non-Animal Approaches May 2019

Venue

Ispra, IT