Congress theme: Ensuring Safety, Advancing Science: Bridging to the Future with NAMs
The ESTIV 2026 Congress focuses on the dual responsibility of ensuring human and environmental safety while advancing scientific innovation, highlighting New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) as a key bridge between cutting-edge research and real-world application. As toxicology moves toward more human-relevant, mechanistic, and data-driven approaches, NAMs offer unprecedented opportunities to improve predictive power, efficiency, and ethical standards.
Draft Scientific Programme as of January 31, 2026
The programme is still subject to changes
Monday, June 29th, 2026
9:00-13:00 Pre-Congress workshop I
Research output management for NAMs made easy
9:00-13:00 Pre-Congress workshop II
Episkin Academy Training
14:00-14:15: Opening Ceremony of the ESTIV 2026 Congress
Chairs: Dr Helena Kandarova (CEM SAS, Bratislava, Slovakia) & Dr Clive Roper (Roper Toxicology Consulting Limited, Edinburgh, UK)
14:15-15:00: Keynote lecture I
15:00-15: 45 BEMA 2026 Award and Lecture
15:15 – 16:00 ESTIV 2026 Early Scientific Career Award and Lecture
16:00-16:30: Coffee break, visiting exhibition area & poster viewing
16:30-18:30: Session 1 –🟦 – We Know Many of the Barriers to Adoption of NAMs, but What are the Solutions?
18:30-20:00: Welcome reception & Poster session
Tuesday, June 30th, 2026
Theme: Regulatory Foundations & Standards
08:30-09:00 Keynote Lecture II
09:00-10:30: Session 2 – 🟦 Track A: Update to OECD Guidance Document 34 on validation of methods & Defined Approaches
09:00-10:30: Session 2 – 🟩 Track B: VHP4Safety — Next generation safety based on human data
10:30-11:00: Coffee break, visiting exhibition area & poster viewing
11:00-13:00: Session 3 – 🟦 Track A: International Standards as the Bridge to the Future of Safe Medical Devices
11:00-13:00: Session 3 – 🟩 Track B: Development and Regulatory Acceptance of NAMs in Genetic Toxicology
13:00-14:00: Lunch break, visiting exhibition area & poster viewing
14:00 – 14:30 – Announcement of Liebsch & Spielman Award
14:30-16:00: Session 4 – 🟦 Track A: Parameterisation of Physiologically-based Pharmacokinetics (PBPK) Modelling for NGRA: Designed to be Protective
16:00-16:30: Coffee break, visiting exhibition area & poster viewing
16:30-17:30: Early Stage Researcher Session 1
16:30-18:30: Session 5 – 🟩 Track B: From Research to Regulation: standardising innovative non-animal technologies
17:30-18:30: ESTIV ECN – Career development session
18:30 – 19:30: ESTIV General Assembly
Poster Session
Wednesday, July 1st, 2026
Theme: Applications and collaboration — Food, Environment & Therapeutics
08:30-09:00 Keynote Lecture III
09:00-10:30: Session 6 – 🟦 Track A: Advancing the Use of NAMs in Food Safety
09:00-10:30: Session 6 – 🟩 Track B: Replacing Animals in Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibody Approvals
10:30-11:00: Coffee break, visiting exhibition area & poster viewing
11:00-13:00: Session 7 – 🟦 Track A: Complex chemical mixtures across environment-food-human continuum
11:00-13:00 Session 7 – 🟩 Track B: Beyond Positive Results — Interpreting NAMs for Endocrine Disruptors
13:00-14:00: Lunch break, visiting exhibition area & poster viewing
14:00-15:30 Session 8 – 🟦 Track A: Systemic Effects Evaluation Using NAM Toolboxes – Real-World Cases
14:00-15:30 Session 8 – 🟩 Track B: Towards robust and reliable in vitro models for Developmental and Reproductive toxicology
15:30-16:30: International collaborations
Asian Federation of the Societies for Alternatives to Animal Experiments (AFSAAE)
16:30-17:00: Coffee break, visiting exhibition area & poster viewing
17:00-18:30: – Session 9 – 🟦 Track A: Multimodal Modelling
of the Gut Compartment – NAMs for Food Safety
17:00-18:30: Session 9 – 🟩 Track B: NAMs in Cardiac Safety
18:30 – 19:30 – Early career scientists session 2
18:30 – 19:30: Session 10 – 🟩 Track B: State of the Art in in vitro DART assays — The Bigger Picture
19:30 – Departures to Congress dinner & social evening
Thursday, July 2nd, 2026
Theme: Advanced Methods, AI, Inhalation Toxicology
08:30 – 9:00 Keynote lecture IV
09:00-11:00: Session 11 – 🟦 Track A: Advances & Challenges in High Throughput Transcriptomics for Risk Assessment
09:00-11:00: Session 11 – 🟩 Track B: Guidance for in vitro Air–Liquid Interface Inhalation Toxicity Assessment
11:00-11:30: Coffee break
11:30-12:45: Session 12 – 🟦 Track A: AI-Powered Toxicity Screening — 3Rs and Regulatory Adoption
11:30 – 12:45: Session 12 –🟩 Track B: Application & Standardisation of in vitro Inhalation Methods
12:45-13:30: Congress closing ceremony
Chairs: Dr Helena Kandarova (CEM SAS, Bratislava, Slovakia) & Dr Clive Roper (Roper Toxicology Consulting Limited, Edinburgh, UK)
POST-CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES
14:00-19:00: Post-conference workshop – I:
Post-Congress Workshop | ICCS Best Practice Guidance Workshop: Application of Read Across in Cosmetic Safety Assessment
14:00 ASPIS Open Symposium
