On 24–25 June 2026, the first meeting of the Board of Governmental Representatives for EIRENE was held in Prague in a hybrid format. The meeting was hosted and coordinated by the RECETOX Centre of Masaryk University. It represented a significant milestone in the development of the EIRENE infrastructure, which, following the completion of its preparatory phase, is now moving towards implementation and the future establishment of EIRENE as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium.
“The first meeting of the Board of Governmental Representatives marks an important step towards the establishment of EIRENE ERIC. It creates a structured platform through which countries, ministries and the scientific community can jointly shape the future governance, services and long-term sustainability of this European research infrastructure,” said Lucie Núñez Tayupanta, who chaired the meeting.
The meeting brought together governmental representatives, national nodes, ministries and members of the scientific community to discuss the next steps required to build a sustainable European research infrastructure for exposome research. Discussions focused on the consolidation of national nodes, future governance arrangements, financial planning, data infrastructure, service provision and the preparation of the ERIC application process. Participants confirmed that the path towards ERIC is the main strategic direction for EIRENE and highlighted the importance of timely and continuous involvement of relevant ministries in each participating country.
The aim of EIRENE is to provide coordinated European capacities for exposome research by connecting environmental, biological, cohort, laboratory, modelling and health-relevant data and services. The infrastructure will support research into complex relationships between environmental exposures and human health, while also contributing to open science, data interoperability and the development of services for users in Europe and beyond. A federated data model and a coordinated service catalogue were discussed as key elements of the future infrastructure.
Through the RECETOX Centre, Masaryk University plays an important role in supporting the scientific, organisational and operational development of EIRENE. The coming months will focus on consolidating national commitments, finalising the mandate of the Board of Governmental Representatives, preparing financial and technical documentation, strengthening international partnerships and developing the operational services required for the implementation phase. The indicative timeline discussed during the meeting foresees the submission of the ERIC application in 2027 and the possible establishment of EIRENE ERIC in 2028.
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.
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.
