Reappointment for BfR committees: external experts sought for new 2022-2025 appointment period

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) set up its committees in order to obtain external expert advice on scientific questions of food, chemical and product safety as well as risk assessment. Applications are now open for the new appointment period, which starts in 2022. For 12 of the 13 BfR committees, scientists are sought that specialise, for example, in the areas of biological and food chemistry, human and veterinary medicine, toxicology, pharmacology, statistics, communication science, sociology or psychology. An invitation to tender for the appointment of the Bf3R committee will take place at a later date. This is already the fifth time that the BfR is recruiting qualified experts in all areas of science and research, from federal and state authorities, industry, non-governmental organisations and other associations, who are keen to advise the BfR with their expertise in an honorary capacity. The BfR also expressly welcomes applications from suitable young scientists. "Our key concern is to ensure that the BfR’s independent advice consistently remains at the highest scientific level. In times of crisis, the BfR can thus draw on the advice of an established network at short notice", explains BfR President Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel. Online applications are being accepted until 31 March 2021.

The committees aim to advise the BfR on open scientific issues. Members are asked specifically to adopt a critical approach, to bring the current state of science and technology to bear on the latest assessment work of the BfR and to identify future fields of activity for risk assessment. The BfR committees have a purely advisory function. They are not involved in the BfR’s risk assessments.

The BfR committees typically have two meetings per year. To ensure comprehensive transparency, the minutes of all meetings are made available on the BfR website. Potential conflicts of interest of the committee members are stated in writing. In addition, members are prompted to verbally state any conflicts of interest in relation to the discussed topics within the committee at the beginning of each meeting. If a conflict of interest is identified, the committee member in question is excluded from the deliberations on the relevant topics.

The call for applications targets scientists interested in membership in one of the BfR’s committees for the appointment period running from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2025.

The members of the following BfR committees are being replaced:

  • Consumer products
  • Assessment of intoxications
  • Biological hazards and hygiene
  • Nutrition, dietetic products, novel foods and allergies
  • Evidence-based methods in risk assessment
  • Feed and animal nutrition
  • Genetically modified food and feed
  • Contaminants in the food chain
  • Cosmetics
  • Pesticides and biocidal products
  • Risk research and risk perception
  • Wine and fruit juice analyses

For scientists, the committees represent a forum for professional exchange and for the development of standards in a field of work that is important for society: consumer health protection. The findings of the BfR committees are made available to the public.

An external appointment board appoints the members of the BfR committees. The external appointment board  is made up of members of the BfR Scientific Advisory Board, the chair of the Senate Commission on Food Safety (SKLM) and of the Max Rubner Institute (MRI), as well as a representative from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).

Further information on the BfR committees, their bylaws and the application procedure can be accessed at

About the BfR

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) in Germany. It advises the German federal government and German federal states ("Laender") on questions of food, chemical and product safety. The BfR conducts its own research on topics that are closely linked to its assessment tasks.

This text version is a translation of the original German text which is the only legally binding version.


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