An innovative networking and training MSCA on European Tobacco Control

EUREST-RISE is a groundbreaking European Union project aimed at advancing regulatory science on tobacco and implementing effective policies to reduce the burden of lung diseases across Europe. Launched with the support of Horizon 2020, the project brings together a consortium of leading experts and stakeholders in tobacco control, public health, and regulatory science.

Coordinated by the ENSP, the primary objective of EUREST-RISE is to generate scientific evidence to inform the development and implementation of tobacco control policies at both the EU and national levels. Smoking and other forms of tobacco consumption are considered the single most important cause of preventable morbidity and premature mortality worldwide. Tobacco product design and additives provide a primary industry tool for innovations that may undermine public health programs and support tobacco use and dependence. The past years have seen the development and adoption of many new cigarette technologies and design features, including new tobacco blends, filters, ventilation, and additives, including flavours.

Within this evolutionary process, novel tobacco products have emerged – including e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, that further perpetuate the complexity of understanding and subsequently effectively regulating products.

Within EUREST-RISE, an integrated series of research studies are proposed that will facilitate the training of researchers (ESR and ER) to examine tobacco product systems, their mechanisms and purpose, and interactions between key design characteristics and their assessment in populations of users.

The project endeavors to conduct thorough research and analysis with the following specific objectives (WPs) in mind:

• WP1: To facilitate smooth implementation of secondments and research exchanges;
• WP2: To facilitate the exchange of expertise on complex dataset analysis and interpretation at both the product and population level through unique secondary dataset analyses;
• WP3: To exchange expertise on the sensory and chemical analysis of tobacco, e-cigarettes, and novel product flavour additives;
• WP4: To exchange expertise and gain experience in advocacy, policy integration, and communication on tobacco control;
• WP5: To ensure dissemination and communication of the results to stakeholders. It is this gap that the EUREST-RISE project will cover through the creation of a cohort of researchers who will be trained as scholars on state-of-the-art aspects of European tobacco product regulatory science.