Mr Matti Aho, Director General of the Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira, signed a three-year cooperation agreement with Mr Andreas Hensel, President of the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), in Berlin on 2 July 2015.
BfR (Bundesinstitut fur Risikobewertung) is an independent institute under Germany's Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The BfR performs scientific risk assessments, product safety assessments and risk communication. It prepares and publishes expert reports and statements on food and feed safety and performs safety analyses in various fields, such as plant protection products, contact materials, textiles, cosmetics, nanotechnology and detergents.
The agreement covers multi-level cooperation between the two institutes and will further improve Evira's risk assessment capabilities by providing a channel for direct collaboration with BfR experts. The purpose of the agreement is to strengthen the scientific basis of risk assessment through joint research projects and to increase communications between Finland and Germany, without disturbing the confidential operating methods applied in both countries. The cooperation will also include seminars, visits and researcher exchanges between the countries.
”This agreement provides Evira's Risk Assessment Research Unit with a concrete channel for exchanging ideas, arranging joint seminars and researcher meetings, and preparing joint research funding applications in areas such as contaminants and pathogens. At the same time, we can learn from a large risk assessment institute, use its resources and materials and offer our own expertise in order to increase the effectiveness of international research,” says Director General Matti Aho.