Welcome and introduction

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2 Welcome and introduction Improve your career options with an internationally recognised certification of Environmental Risk Assessors across Europe. Thank you for your interest in the SETAC Europe Certification of Environmental Risk Assessors (CRA). The certification has been developed to provide an internationally recognised standard for Environmental Risk Assessors. Obtaining the certificate is a prestigious achievement that demonstrates your expertise in the multidisciplinary field of Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA). The CRA aims to harmonise and further strengthen the use of upto-date scientific methods and principles in the environmental risk assessment of chemicals and other stressor s. It supports SETAC s mission to promote the education in the environmental sciences as well as the advancement and application of scientific research related to contaminants and other stressor s in the environment. The programme provides you with the possibility to build a strong international network and increases your professional profile by demonstrating your skills and expertise as Environmental Risk Assessor across Europe. We look forward to welcoming you to the SETAC Europe Certification of Environmental Risk Assessors programme. If you have any question about the application process, course programme or examination, please visit the website certification.setac.eu or CRA@setac.org. 2

3 How is the CRA programme structured? The road to certification The CRA programme consists of three steps to become a Certified Environmental Risk Assessor. Step 1 Step 2 9 ERA Competences Courses Waivers Enrolment GRA training GRA exam CRA training Internship ( 8 weeks) CRA Candidate CRA Graduate Step 1: Enrolment To become an official CRA candidate you must submit an enrolment dossier with the support of a mentor. After a positive evaluation by the Registration Committee the candidate can enter the training phase. Step 2: Graduation The candidate will gain competence in nine ERA topics and acquire first practical experiences during a 8-weeks internship. Finally, the candidate has to pass the exam to become a Graduate Environmental Risk Assessor (GRA). Step 3: Certification When continued education has been followed, after at least two years of on-the-job training has been completed and the certification dossier has been evaluated positively the GRA becomes a Certified Environmental Risk Assessor (CRA). Step 3 Con nued educa on CRA judgment On-the-job training ( 2 years) Cer fied CRA The programme is designed to be flexible and deviations from the standard procedure are possible. 3

4 The Environmental Risk Assessment topics for the CRA programme The 9 CRA topics The nine CRA topics provide a solid basis for the truly multidisciplinary job as an Environmental Risk Assessor: 1. Basic ecology concepts, principles and processes 2. Basic concepts and principles in regulatory ecotoxicology, environmental risk assessment, and relevant legislative frameworks 3. Environmental Chemistry: Fate of chemicals in the environment 4. Environmental Chemistry: Exposure estimation of chemicals in the environment 5. Sub-organism level (eco)toxicology (mechanistic toxicology) 6. Organism-level ecotoxicology 7. Supra-organism level ecotoxicology or Chemical Stress Ecology 8. Retrospective risk assessment: Chemical and bio-monitoring of exposure and effects 9. Statistics for Environmental Risk Assessors 4 The competence areas and knowledge can be achieved by following dedicated courses. Topics can be waived on the bases of proven track records (e.g., courses in the past, Ph.D. thesis). Biology Physics Basic ecology concepts WAIVED Mechanistic ecotoxicology Fate of chemicals Toxicology Organism - level ecotoxicology Regulatory ecotoxicology Exposure estimation Chemistry Chemical stress ecology Retrospective risk assessment WAIVED Statistics for ERA Ecology Modelling

5 Graduate and Certified Environmental Risk Assessors Courses The programme offers a range of courses for students and professionals to obtain the level of education and expertise to fulfil the requirements. The CRA programme collaborates with Universities and other course organisers in Europe. To achieve the required competence level for one CRA topic a course needs to fulfil the following requirements: The content should cover about 75% of the aims of the topic. Each topic should be covered by 3 ECTS or at least 2 ECTS credits (5 to 10 days of total study load). The course allows a formal evaluation (e.g. by an exam). Different certification levels The CRA programme explicitly distinguish between a Graduate Environmental Risk Assessor (GRA) and a Certified Environmental Risk Assessor (CRA). While a Graduate has received basic theoretical education and training and first practical skills, the Certified Environmental Risk Assessor also received substantial on-the-job training. This allows young potentials to acquire a recognition of their potential in the field of Environmental Risk Assessment and provide them a competitive advantage on the ERA job market at the time they need it the most (i.e. shortly after obtaining a Ph.D. degree). Find a list of approved, registered courses that are eligible for the CRA programme on the website certification.setac.eu 5

6 How to apply? Mentor First seek for a mentor within your own professional network. The mentor supports your application and will provide guidance and advice in developing the enrolment dossier, helps to increase your professional network, seeking suitable courses and internship. The mentor must be a SETAC member with considerable expertise in various aspects of ERA. If you don t have a potential mentor in your network contact CRA@setac.org for assistance. Enrolment dossier Enrolment can occur at any moment by submitting an enrolment dossier. The dossier needs to include: Name and current affiliation of the applicant Motivation letter including self evaluation CV including copies of relevant certificates Application for topic waivers Name, affiliation and short CV of the mentor Recommendation letter by the mentor Requirements M.Sc. or Ph.D. diploma (or equivalent) in one of the disciplines relevant for environmental risk assessment. Applicants not having such a diploma will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Register online by visiting certification.setac.eu Registration 6

7 Who is involved? Registration Committee Central to the CRA programme is the Registration Committee, composed of SETAC Europe members and environmental scientists, who are dedicated to designing and further optimising the CRA programme: Karel De Schamphelaere (Chair), Ghent University, Belgium Anne Alix, DOW AgroSciences, United Kingdom Mónica Amorim, University of Aveiro, Portugal Antonio Finizio, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy Lúcia Guilhermino, University of Porto, Portugal Jakub Hofman, Masaryk University, Czech Republic Manuel Ortiz-Santaliestra, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain Véronique Poulsen, ANSES, France Jörg Römbke, ECT, Germany Nico van den Brink, Wageningen University, Netherlands Kees van Gestel, Vrije Universitaet Amsterdam, Netherlands Bart Bosveld (ex-officio), SETAC Europe, Belgium Advisory Board The CRA programme is recognised by the major government, industry and consultancy organisation in Europe. Therefore, representatives from those organisations are involved in the Advisory Board and evaluate the CRA programme: Bayer CropScience Battelle CEFIC (European Chemical Industry Council) Concawe (Environmental Science for the European Refining Industry) ECETOC (European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals) ECHA (European Chemicals Agency) ECPA (European Crop Protection Association) EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) EuroChlor (European Association of Chlorine Producers) Eurometaux (European Association of Metals) European Commission - JRC (Joint Research Centre) OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) RIVM (Dutch Institute for Public Health and the Environment) UBA (German Environment Agency) 7

8 Find out more on: certification.setac.eu write to or call SETAC Europe vzw, Av. de la Toison d Or 67, Brussels, Belgium - setac.org - setaceu@setac.org