On June 17, 2026, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced the first meeting of its Collaborative Platform on Alternatives to Animal Testing (CP-AAT), bringing together representatives from EU Member States, the European Commission, EU agencies, industry, and public-private partnerships to strengthen cooperation on the development and regulatory use of non-animal testing methods. During the inaugural meeting, participants discussed ongoing initiatives across Europe aimed at advancing alternatives to animal testing and identified opportunities to improve coordination, enhance scientific exchange, and avoid duplication of efforts. The platform agreed on four priority areas for its initial two-year work programme: promoting regulatory acceptance of quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models and other in silico methods, developing harmonized approaches for in vitro toxicokinetic data, supporting the regulatory application of omics technologies in hazard assessment, and advancing new approach methodologies (NAMs) for nano- and advanced materials. The Collaborative Platform on Alternatives to Animal Testing will function as an informal, non-binding forum meeting twice annually to facilitate scientific collaboration, capacity building, and the development of a common understanding regarding the regulatory use of alternative testing methods. The initiative represents ECHA’s first contribution to the European Commission’s roadmap toward phasing out animal testing, published on June 1, 2026.
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