11 March 2013 marks the start of a new era. From this day on, animal testing will be no longer permitted in the European Union. The EU Directive 76/768/EEC puts an end to animal testing in the cosmetics industry by imposing bans on testing cosmetic products and ingredients on animals.

Against this backdrop, the European research project NOTOX, co-funded by the European Commission and Cosmetics Europe, seeks to develop alternative testing methods that will replace animal testing.

On 4 and 5 March 2013, NOTOX project partners came together at the Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien of the CNRS in Strasbourg. On the occasion of the 4th Progress Meeting, the consortium convened to review scientific progress and results achieved so far. NOTOX scientists presented the work carried out in the individual Work Packages and discussed the next steps to be taken in the following weeks and months. Detailed breakout sessions provided the opportunity for project members to talk more specifically about the challenges of their research activities and to agree on concrete tasks and timelines for their sub-groups. Moreover, the Progress Meeting offered the perfect stage for the premiere of the NOTOX movie which was very well received by the consortium.

In summary, the Progress Meeting was characterized by very intense and fruitful discussions on the results obtained up to date and the next steps to be taken. The next NOTOX progress meeting will be held in September 2013 at the Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo) in Dortmund.

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