ONTOX stands for “ontology-driven and artificial intelligence-based repeated dose toxicity testing of chemicals for next-generation risk assessment”. The project is aiming into the development of animal-free methods for testing chemical substances. The ONTOX consortium consists of 19 European and American partners, and more than 120 scientists, many of them active members of  ESTIV. The ONTOX project started on 1 May 2021 for a period of 5 years and is coordinated by Prof. Mathieu Vinken (Vrije Universiteit Brussel-Belgium).

The Memorandum of Understanding between ESTIV and the ONTOX project, signed in October 2021, developed into a highly productive and sustained collaboration spanning scientific communication, training, networking and support for early-career researchers. Over the five-year lifetime of ONTOX, ESTIV provided an important platform for sharing project results with the international in vitro toxicology and New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) community through ESTIV congresses, webinars, workshops, training activities and communication channels.

ONTOX scientists contributed extensively to ESTIV Congresses in Sitges (2022), Prague (2024) and Maastricht (2026), while ESTIV congresses also provided a home for ASPIS Open Symposia and ASPIS Academy activities. The collaboration progressively expanded from scientific dissemination to capacity building, with ONTOX-led workshops, dedicated webinars, early-career networking activities and opportunities for young researchers to present their work to an international audience.

Importantly, the partnership created continuity beyond individual events. ESTIV supported the visibility and professional development of ONTOX researchers through awards, congress fee waivers and opportunities for further scientific dissemination. Several researchers active within ONTOX subsequently became closely involved in ESTIV activities, contributing to its Early Career Network, training programme and governance.

The ESTIV–ONTOX collaboration therefore demonstrates how a Memorandum of Understanding can evolve from a formal commitment into an active partnership with tangible outcomes for scientific exchange, capacity building, community development and the long-term dissemination and uptake of NAM-based approaches.

Recognising excellent science

A particularly successful element of the ESTIV–ONTOX collaboration has been the recognition and support of early-career scientists. Throughout the project, ONTOX researchers received a range of scientific awards at ESTIV Congresses, ASPIS Open Symposia and ONTOX scientific events. ESTIV complemented scientific recognition with practical support, including complimentary congress registrations and opportunities to present award-winning research at subsequent ESTIV events and webinars.

This approach created a valuable cycle of scientific excellence, recognition, mobility, visibility and professional development. Young researchers were not only rewarded for outstanding work, but were also given opportunities to expand their international networks, communicate their research to broader audiences and become more actively involved in the NAM community.

The awards listed below illustrate both the scientific quality of the ONTOX early-career community and ESTIV’s commitment to supporting the next generation of scientists working toward more human-relevant, animal-free approaches to safety assessment.

More at: www.ontox-project.eu