The EIRENE IMP project was officially launched during a two-day hybrid kick-off meeting held on 25–26 June 2026 at the Technology Centre Prague. The opening event brought together project partners, representatives of national nodes of the EIRENE RI research infrastructure, and project managers from the beneficiary and the European Commission.
EIRENE IMP represents a major step in the transition of EIRENE from the preparatory phase towards a fully operational distributed research infrastructure dedicated to the study of the human exposome. Funded by the Horizon Europe programme, the project will support the development of the scientific, technical, governance, financial, and service framework required for the future establishment of EIRENE ERIC.
“The launch of the EIRENE IMP project marks an important milestone on the path towards establishing a European research infrastructure for human exposome research. Our goal is to connect scientific capacities across Europe, create a sustainable framework for delivering research services, and support the sharing of data, technologies, and expertise. EIRENE IMP will enable us to consolidate the scientific vision, governance structures, and key capacities needed for the future operation of EIRENE ERIC and its long-term contribution to environmental health research,” said Jana Klanova.
A key message of the kick-off meeting was that EIRENE IMP is not only a three-year implementation project, but also a strategic pathway towards preparing the application for the establishment of EIRENE ERIC. Partners discussed the key elements of the future infrastructure, including the service architecture, the role and capacities of national nodes, data and digital infrastructure, the financial model, and long-term sustainability.
The consortium also established the practical framework for project implementation. This included confirming project management procedures, the use of SharePoint as the official project document repository, internal processes for preparing and reviewing deliverables, the collection of reporting materials under the Horizon Europe lump-sum funding model, and the operation of working groups focused on key infrastructure areas. These include laboratory capacities and services, data and digital infrastructure, cohorts, GIS and environmental data, as well as modelling.
An important part of the discussions focused on progress in engaging governmental representatives in the future governance of the infrastructure. Eleven countries have already nominated their representatives to the Board of Government Representatives, creating an important foundation for future institutional commitments and the development of the EIRENE ERIC governance framework. The consortium also discussed cooperation with strategic partners beyond Europe while emphasising the importance of maintaining the European identity and governance principles of EIRENE.
The immediate next steps include finalising partner contact and payment information, establishing the structure of working groups, preparing the first project outputs during the summer period, and presenting progress at the September meeting of the Board of Government Representatives.
The kick-off meeting confirmed strong momentum within the consortium and established a clear direction for EIRENE IMP as a key step towards building a European research infrastructure supporting exposome science, environmental health research, policy development, and broader societal impact.
Summer School took place at the RECETOX facilities and brought together experts, researchers, and young professionals from different countries. The programme consisted of two complementary modules addressing key topics related to the assessment and management of chemical risks.
This week, the RECETOX Research Infrastructure at Masaryk University, coordinator of the European Research Infrastructure EIRENE, hosted a study visit organised within the framework of the EU–CELAC Working Group on Research Infrastructures.
