Global Reach

The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) provides global co-ordination for the Long-Range Research Initiative.

Through the ICCA, the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), the American Chemistry Council (ACC), and the Japan Chemical Industry Association (JCIA) have co-ordinated research strategies and research projects in key areas. Download now the latest ICCA-LRI Brochure for an overview of the program.

Global Goals

ICCA's goals for the international Long-Range Research Initiative are to:

  • Extend knowledge world-wide on potential effects on the health, safety, and environment of the chemical industry's products and processes

  • Support informed decision-making by providing the scientific data and understanding that are the foundation of good public policy decisions

  • Develop new tools to promote the safe use of chemicals, especially as new questions emerge about the potential health and environmental effects of chemical

  • Co-ordinate research of ICCA member associations to achieve international scientific participation in the research process

The 2010 updated LRI Global Research Strategy

The innovative research program of the International Council of Chemical Associations' Long-Range Research Initiative (ICCA-LRI) is designed to improve the quality of chemical safety assessments. This global program and its research strategy target the science-policy interface to modernize and approve chemical management. Although societal and political drivers vary around the world, the three regional LRI programs in Europe, the United States, and Japan identify common scientific topic areas that industry regards as important to form the core of the global ICCA-LRI program and direct its research strategy. This LRI Global Research Strategy, 21st Century Approaches to Risk Sciences, comprises three priority areas: emerging technologies, exposure science, and translation relevant to health and environment.

The research funding invested in these three areas is often leveraged through collaboration with publicly funded projects that can maximize project value up to five times. Through a rigorous governance structure involving chief executive officers (CEOs) and directors general from the three LRI regions, strategic alignment, complementarity, efficient use of financial resources, and effective dissemination of research results are achieved. The ICCA-LRI is recognized as a brand that demonstrates industry engagement with Responsible Care, provides early warning on emerging issues, achieves outreach to opinion leaders through its network, and supports capacity building within industry to ensure knowledge-based decision-making by companies and by public policy makers.

ICCA-LRI: A Global Program Addressing Key Issues in Chemical Management

The 2010 ICCA-LRI Research Portfolio, 21st Century Approaches to Risk Sciences, program targets the science-policy interface to modernize and improve chemical management.  The program represents nearly a $12 million investment in research that encompasses three priority areas:

Emerging Technologies: Assessing innovative tools, approaches, and data for robust evaluations for chemicals as well as new technologies, such as nanotechnology.

Exposure Science: Improving the tools to quantify everyday and incidental exposures to consumer chemicals and to guide intelligent testing.

Translation Relevant to Health and Environment: Developing approaches and tools to improve understanding of links between exposures to chemicals and human health and environment effetcs.