13th Global Summit on Regulatory Science (GSRS23)

The Global Summit on Regulatory Science (GSRS) is an annual international conference for discussion of innovative technologies and partnerships to enhance translation of basic science into regulatory applications within the global context. The conference provides an opportunity for scientists from government, industry, and academic research communities to objectively assess the utility of emerging technologies (such as nanotechnology, imaging, -omics for translational science, personalised medicine, medical product safety and food safety) for addressing regulatory research questions and to discuss the best way to translate these technologies into real-world applications.  

The conference provides a platform where regulators, policy makers and bench scientists from various countries can exchange views on how to develop, apply and implement innovative methodologies into regulatory assessments in their respective countries, as well as harmonising strategy via global collaboration. To engage the global community in addressing regulatory science research and training needs, GSRS will be held in different countries on an annual basis.   

The 13th Global Summit on Regulatory Science (GSRS23) was held on 27-28 September 2023 in Parma, Italy. It was co-hosted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Global Coalition for Regulatory Science Research (GCRSR). The theme for this year’s Global Summit was “Emerging Technologies for Food and Drug Safety”. 

The conference was preceded by two parallel satellite workshops. The first workshop was on Nanotechnology covering two themes, qualification system for the use of NAMs in food and Challenges and ways forward to investigate nanoplastics. The second workshop was on the present and future of AI, for open science and transparency in regulatory science.  

The objectives of GSRS23 were to engage with the global community of regulatory risk assessors and discuss new developments in emerging technologies and their applicability for regulatory risk assessment. The event started with an overview of the NAM global landscape, followed by session on their regulatory implementations and applications. On day two, there was a dedicated session on various emerging tools for risk assessment and a session an artificial intelligence/Machine Learning. The conference concluded with a horizon scan on emerging technologies for food and drug safety.

The event was attended by around 140 in-person participants and 230 online connections.