BfR Annual Report 2015

BfR

Annual Report 2015

After 2005 and 2009, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) was evaluated again by the Scientific

Council in 2015. With the publishing of its opinion in October 2015, the evaluation was completed after a

one-year appraisal procedure with a very positive result. The Scientific Council certifies the high level of

efficiency and scientific expertise of the BfR: “The BfR performs the legal tasks assigned to it competently

and reliably. By doing so, the BfR makes a significant overall contribution towards consumer health care

in the Federal Republic of Germany”.

The Scientific Council stresses that the BfR provides important scientif-

ic advisory services to political decision-makers, in particular the Fed-

eral Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and various other stake-

holders. The scientific risk assessment performed by the BfR guarantees

political consultancy that is independent of any social, political or eco-

nomic interests.

The BfR has also established itself as one of the leading institutions for

science-based risk assessment at international level. The work it per-

forms enables the further development of risk assessment and risk com-

munication on a national and international level. Special praise was given

here to the very good international link-up with cooperation partners, as

well as the committed and competent BfR personnel whose further qual-

ifications are continuously promoted. The training function of the BfR is

extremely important for non-European countries too and is exemplified

by the annually organised BfR Summer Academy, which focuses on the

further training and networking of risk experts from all over the world in

the field of food safety.

Explicit praise was reserved for the scheduled and already realised filling

of certain BfR positions and professorships with joint appointments, such

as that with the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, the Universi-

ty Clinic Charité and Freie Universität Berlin, as well as the close cooper-

ation with our French sister authority ANSES and the food institute at the

Technical University of Denmark (DTU). The certification of all BfR work

areas in line with DIN EN ISO 9001 and the accreditation of the laborato-

ries in line with DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 were also given special mention.

The Scientific Council recommends that the institute align its research

activities even more strategically and to do so, the BfR will actively in-

volve the scientific advisory board. Joint appointments with universities

should also be sought on the level of the institute's specialised units. As

with the previous evaluations, the BfR will give thorough consideration

to the recommendations of the Scientific Council.

Evaluation of the

Scientific Council 2015

You will find the complete opinion

(in German) of the Scientific Council at: