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The beginning of the summer has brought some encouraging news for everyone working to reduce animal use in safety assessment. After a series of preparatory workshops over the last 3 years and as a direct result of the successful "Save Cruelty-Free Cosmetics" European Citizens' Initiative (ECI), which gathered over 1.2 million signatures, the European Commission published its Roadmap towards Phasing Out Animal Testing for Chemical

On 26 May 2026, VICT3R was featured in the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Science seminar: Virtual control groups in pre-clinical toxicity studies.  During the session, Thomas Steger-Hartmann (Bayer) and Claus Stie Kallesøe (grit42) presented the latest developments from the VICT3R project, including a practical demonstration of how Virtual Control Groups (VCGs) can be applied in preclinical toxicity studies using the VICT3R database. The recording of the seminar is now available, together with a shorter video

The VICT3R project has reached an important milestone in the qualification of the Virtual Control Group (VCG) concept. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued a Qualification Opinion on VICT3R Context of Use I, which focuses on the application of VCGs in dose-range finding (DRF) non-GLP repeated dose toxicity rat studies. The Qualification Opinion, adopted by the EMA Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use

Collaboration lies at the heart of the VICT3R project. Bringing together data scientists, software and computer system validation experts, industry partners, and regulators is essential to tackle the complex challenge the project addresses: developing Virtual Control Groups (VCGs) that could one day replace concurrent control groups in animal studies. On 26–27 February 2026, the VICT3R consortium met in Barcelona for its 4th Consortium Meeting and

We are proud to announce the expansion of the VICT3R consortium with the addition of new beneficiaries joining the project and organisations joining the VICT3R Associated Contract Research Organisation (CRO) Network. This growing network of organisations strengthens our mission to transform the way safety is evaluated in drug and chemical development by reducing reliance on laboratory animals. The newly joined beneficiaries include first-line industry partners

The VICT3R consortium met in Barcelona on 29–30 September 2025 for its 3rd Consortium Meeting and General Assembly, marking the successful close of the project’s first year. With 67 participants attending in-person and another 60 joining online, the event brought together nearly 130 partners and collaborators from academia, industry, small and medium-sized enterprises, and members of the project’s Scientific and Regulatory Advisory Board to reflect

VICT3R launched the first edition of its Virtually Speaking webinar series in early 2025, bringing together experts to discuss key topics relevant to VICT3R, shaping the future of toxicology and safety science. The series, which ran from January to July, combined open webinars for the broader community with closed sessions for the consortium, where we explored how to apply the concepts directly to project work.