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Cosmetic Industry funding for Commission Call for Proposals

Summary

On 30 July 2009, the European Commission launched a Call for Proposals for the development of a strategy towards alternatives to safety tests using animals. The specific field of application is “repeated dose systemic toxicity” under the Theme ‘Health’ of the 7th European RTD Framework Programme (2007-2013).

The cosmetic industry will give financial support to projects selected by the European Commission with the same amount as the European Commission, bringing the total amount of funding to EUR 50 million.

In order to obtain financial support from the cosmetic industry, successful projects must conclude a Simplified Grant Agreement with Colipa. Further information about the Simplified Grant Agreement will be available soon on this website.

  • Date of publication: 30 July 2009
  • Deadline: 3 February 2010
  • Budget: European Commission EUR 25 million + Cosmetic Industry EUR 25 million
  • Application details: www.cordis.europa.eu, www.colipa.eu

Further details about the European Commission proposal can be found by visiting the website: www.cordis.europa.eu.

For the Colipa Statement on the on Research funding for Commission Call, please click here.

The detailed programme of two information events around the Commission Call will be held at the occasion of the 7th World Congress on "Alternatives and Animal Use in Life Sciences''. For more information please click here.

Funding opportunities from the European Commission and the cosmetic industry

Working Together on Alternatives

In a unique joint effort, the European cosmetic industry has decided to match research funds made available by the European Commission under the 7th RTD Framework Programme.

The European Commission launched a Call for Proposals on 30 July 2009 asking researchers to submit proposals on the development of a strategy towards alternative solutions to animal testing in the field of repeated dose systemic toxicity. The European cosmetic industry has committed to match the funding given by the European Commission, making a total of EUR 50 million available for this theme.

Up to 7 projects will be selected by the European Commission, according to criteria defined by this Call for Proposals. Selected projects can benefit from funding from both the European Commission and the cosmetic industry, providing up to 100% of the total funding for each project. The available funds make up a total of EUR 50 million, ith half being provided by the European Commission and half by the cosmetic industry.

To view the summary of the Call for Proposals, please click here.

For the Colipa Statement on the on Research funding for Commission Call, please click here.

The detailed programme of two information events around the Commission Call will be held at the occasion of the 7th World Congress on "Alternatives and Animal Use in Life Sciences''. For more information please click here.

 

Introduction

The search for alternative methods has seen significant achievements over the last 20 years. The progress made has been largely due to the continued commitment of the European Commission and the cosmetic industry for research into alternatives. The research programme launched by this Call for Proposals aims to address the challenge of finding alternative test methods in the specific field of repeated dose systemic toxicity.

Safety

Consumer safety is fundamental to our activities. The European Union legislation that is in place gives consumers confidence in the safety of cosmetic products.

Each ingredient in every cosmetic product on the market today will have been tested at some point to make sure that it does not cause harm to consumers and workers. Many of the ingredients that have long been in use in our industry will have originally been proved to be safe through testing on animals, using historically accepted methods.
For the majority of ingredients used in cosmetics we have succeeded in replacing these tests by non-animal tests such as in vitro methods. However, there are still gaps in scientific knowledge that need to be filled in order to replace animal testing for regulatory purposes, while continuing to guarantee the safety of our products.

Information on a Call for Proposals on ALTERNATIVE TESTING STRATEGIES within the HEALTH THEME under the 7th European RTD Framework Programme (FP7):

On 30 July 2009, the European Commission launched a Call for Proposals on the development of a strategy towards alternative solutions to animal testing in the field of repeated dose systemic toxicity, focusing on the following topics:
  1. the development and use of advanced organ-simulating devices as alternatives for long-term toxicity testing;
  2. the optimisation of current methodologies and development of novel methods to achieve functional differentiation of humanbased target cells in vitro that change the focus from rodent systems to the more refined human models allowing to identify human toxicological biomarkers and endpoints;
  3. the establishment of endpoints and intermediate markers in human-based target cells with relevance for repeated dose systemic toxicity testing;
  4. the optimisation of computational modelling and estimation techniques;
  5. the exploitation of systems biology, physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modelling and (quantitative) structureactivity relationship ((Q)SAR) approaches, for the development of predictive causal computer models to forecast the toxicological potential of previously uncharacterized chemical compounds.
  6. integrated data analysis and servicing.

In addition to the six above-listed collaborative projects, applicants are invited to submit proposals for a coordinating action in the topic area (large-scale integrating project). In all cases only up to one project can be funded per topic.

  • Call identifier: FP7-HE ALTH-2010-Alternative Testing Strategies

More information on this call is available at www.cordis.europa.eu.

Sources of Financing

European Commission commitment:

  • European Commission financial contribution: up to EUR 25 million

Cosmetic industry commitment:

  • Industry consortium contribution: up to EUR 25 million

For each proposal selected by the European Commission, the cosmetic industry is committed to providing additional funding. The funding shall be equal in each case to the European Commission’s contribution (50% of eligible costs).

The European Commission selected proposals may therefore be funded up to 100% of the total eligible cost.

The Application Process

The evaluation and selection of proposals will be handled exclusively by the European Commission. FP7 rules for submission of proposals, and the related evaluation, selection and award procedures apply and due procedures carried out by the European Commission. FP7 rules also apply with regard to intellectual property rights provisions.

Applications should be sent to the European Commission only. Projects selected for funding by the European Commission will also receive funding by the cosmetic industry.

The cosmetic industry will then co-fund the projects selected by the European Commission on the basis of a Simplified Grant Agreement concluded between the cosmetic industry and the Researchers. To obtain the funding, the coordinators of the selected projects should contact Colipa at the address listed below.

Further information about the Simplified Grant Agreement will be available soon on this website.

The Role of Colipa, the European Cosmetics Association

The cosmetic industry will contribute to funding projects selected by the European Commission under the research programme,up to a total of EUR 25 million. In order to do this, Colipa has set up a consortium contract between member companies thereby providing a legal mechanism for securing the committed industry funding. Colipa, mandated by its industry members, will enter into Simplified Grant Agreements with the Beneficiaries. This will ensure that the funding process is transparent and the payments are clearly earmarked in favour of the Beneficiaries and for the purpose of the research funding. The text of the Simplified Grant Agreement will be published on the Colipa website for information.

The cosmetic industry has shown a long standing and continuous commitment to the elimination of animal testing. Through this collaboration with the European Commission, the cosmetic industry continues to play a leading role in the development of alternative methods and of new approaches to safety assessment. Colipa is already working with the European Commission and other sector organisations through the European Partnership for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EPAA).


The cosmetics industry is committed to:

  • Agree with the list of the future topics of the call for proposals on the development of alternative solutions to animal testing in the field of repeated dose systemic toxicity to be launched by the European Commission in July 2009 under the Theme 'Health' of the Specific Programme 'Cooperation' implementing the Seventh Framework Programme for research, technical development and demonstration (2007-2013)
  • Jointly fund research projects selected through the above-mentioned call for proposals over the coming years for the same amount  as the European Commission and up to a total contribution of EUR 25 million

The cosmetics industry is committed to contribute the same amount as the European Commission and up to a total amount of EUR 25 million, including all costs, to the funding of European Commission selected projects, subject to the conditions that the abovementioned call for proposals has effectively been launched by the European Commission no later than on 30 July 2009 (date of publication in the Official Journal) and any case no later than on 30 September 2009 and that the beneficiaries executed a simplified grant agreement with Colipa, which is duly mandated by its members, to co-ordinate the entire industry project.

For more information about the Alternative Methods, please click here.


  • Brochure: Funding Opportunities from the EC and the Cosmetic Industry (303.11 KB) Download
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