Novel foods partnership – call for proposals

Background

EFSA has recently published a call for proposals under the title "Contribution to the Risk Assessment of Novel Foods and Nutrient Sources in the EU (EUBA-EFSA-2024-NIF-01)".

The objective of the call is to establish cooperation with Competent Organisations from the EU Member States (MS), Norway and Iceland (i.e., “MS Competent Organisations” as described in Art. 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002) or consortia thereof for the evaluation of Novel Food dossiers submitted by applicants. Successful proponents will have to provide the capacity and expertise relevant for the evaluation of such dossiers. Indicatively, this includes expertise in chemistry, microbiology, biotechnology, food technology, the study of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME), exposure assessment, and toxicology.

The call will result in the award of a four-year Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) to up to three MS Competent Organisations or consortia of such organisations.

The financial envelope for this call is EUR 3,500,000. The closing date for the submission of proposals is 21 November 2024 (at 17:00 Brussels time).

Objectives of the meeting

The objectives of this online event were to:

• Present the objectives of the call and the tasks that successful proponents (MS Competent Organisations or consortia thereof) will be expected to perform
• Briefly describe the administrative and financial modalities of the call
• Allow the audience to ask any questions on the call and the submission process
• Allow (at a dedicated part of the event) any interested member of the audience to express their interest in working with others, in a consortium, towards the submission of a common proposal

Structure of the meeting

The online event was structured in two parts:

Part 1: presentation of the call (open to all)

This first informational part aimed to address the following topics:

• Overview of the call: objectives, scope of work, etc.
• Administrative guidelines for the submission of proposals
• Financial modalities
• Q&A

Part 2: partner discovery (open to participants affiliated to Competent Organisations of Art. 36 of Regulation (EC) 178/2002)

This part aimed to give space to participants so they can identify potential partners. Interested participants were given the floor to introduce themselves, their area of work and expertise, and their role in the organisation. These introductions will, hopefully, pave the way for further networking – after the event – and the possible creation of consortia to apply for the call.

Please note that:

• Part 1 has been recorded, and the video with the presentation given will be made publicly available. Any questions by the audience will need to be submitted by writing in the chat of the online meeting.
• Part 2, as originally foreseen, aimed at networking and has not been recorded. EFSA's role in Part 2 is strictly limited to the facilitation of interventions from participants.

Contact

Do not hesitate to contact the organising committee at events [at] efsa.europa.eu for more information.