3Rs Training Webinar: EU Roadmap Towards Phasing Out Animal Testing

3Rs Training Webinar – Roadmap Toward Phasing Out Animal Testing: Next Steps for Humane ScienceWednesday, July 30, 2025 | 1 PM EST / 7 PM CEST | Via Zoom

As part of the 3Rs Training Webinar series led by Dr. Kathrin Herrmann (Director of Education Program, CAAT), this session will spotlight the European Commission’s forthcoming Roadmap to phase out animal testing in chemical safety assessments, expected in early 2026. Dr. Herrmann will be joined by Erika Martinelli, MSc, Chemicals Strategy Policy Officer at Eurogroup for Animals, who will share key policy updates and highlight opportunities to advance human-relevant, animal-free science within EU chemicals legislation.

For decades, science has been moving toward safer, more efficient, and more human-relevant methods of assessing chemical safety. Globally, efforts in major markets—including the EU, United States, Canada, South Korea, and Brazil—are accelerating the shift to animal-free science. This scientific momentum, combined with strong public support and political will, led to the success of the Cosmetics Free Europe Citizens’ Initiative, signed by over 1.2 million EU citizens.

In response, the European Commission made a landmark commitment: to develop a Roadmap to phase out animal testing in chemical safety assessments.

But what does this Roadmap include—and what will it take to make it a reality?

This timely webinar will provide a comprehensive update on progress to date and offer a behind-the-scenes look at how the Commission and its expert working groups are building and planning the implementation of this ambitious initiative.

As a pan-European animal protection organization working closely with EU institutions, Eurogroup for Animals has played a key role in shaping this process. This session will offer insights into the work of its Animals in Science team and how it helped build consensus among stakeholders to co-develop the draft Roadmap.

Topics we’ll explore include:

• The Roadmap: Why now, and what’s at stake?Understand the scope of this effort, which aims to align 15 pieces of legislation under one coherent strategy for humane, human-relevant safety science.
• Structure and Accountability:Learn about the organizational framework, including expert-led working groups in human health, environmental safety, and change management, and how they are defining milestones, indicators, and goals.
• Overcoming Obstacles:Explore the current challenges to implementation—particularly the need to accelerate validation, standardization, and regulatory acceptance of non-animal methods.
• Science, Innovation, and Opportunity:Discover how advancing non-animal methods will create new research pathways and professional opportunities in next-generation toxicology.
• Funding the Future:Get an overview of how the European Commission plans to fund the transition to animal-free science and what resources are required.
• Global Alignment:Understand the importance of harmonizing EU regulations (such as CLP) with the UN’s Globally Harmonized System (GHS) to ensure international consistency.
• The Path Forward:Discuss the broader European and global momentum driving the transition to a more ethical, human-relevant, and animal-free scientific paradigm.

Join us to learn how this bold initiative is unfolding—and how we can collectively ensure the EU follows through on its commitment to end animal testing in chemical safety.

About the Speaker:

Erika Martinelli holds Master's Degrees in both Chemistry and Chemical Innovation and Regulation. After an early career in analytical chemistry research, she transitioned to the intersection of science and policy, specialising in chemical regulations.

Her experience includes serving as a Regulatory Officer for a consultancy and later for the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) where she worked on the Assessments of Regulatory Needs and the Integrated Regulatory Strategy of the Agency in the Water, Alternative Methods and Prioritisation Unit.

As Chemicals Strategy Policy Officer at Eurogroup for Animals, she works closely with EU institutions to advance chemical legislation. She focuses on developing scientific-based policy to support the adoption of non-animal methods, driving a regulatory shift towards an animal-free approach to chemical safety assessment.

Photo credit: We Animals