NP/EFSA/ED/2025/01 - Further development of EFSA’s TKPlate Platform for toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic modelling

Call reference: NP/EFSA/ED/2025/01

Deadline to register interest: 04/07/2025

Background

TK Plate is EFSA’s open-access web application implemented in R and ran in MCSim to allow fast and reliable high-throughput simulations toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic modelling of chemicals (https://r4eu.efsa.europa.eu/app/tktd). TKplate has been built within a workflow which includes a series of modules: input, forward dosimetry, reverse dosimetry, toxicodynamic, dynamic energy budget, mixtox and automated report (Bossier et al., 2023a, Dorne et al., 2023). Over the last few years, EFSA has invested in further developing TKPlate to update the platform and include new models developed under EFSA and EU projects (i.e. PARC, ASPIS) and identified as priority by the European Chemical Agency. This negotiated procedure aims to structure and test the codes of new models for their integration within TKPlate.

Objectives

This negotiated procedure has 3 objectives: 

Objective 1: Further develop TKPlate modules through integration of physiological data, available model codes in R and MCSim and modular design 

Objective 2: Further develop physiologically-based kinetic and bioaccumulation models through re-engineering available priority models identified by EFSA; 

Objective 3: Testing updated TKPlate modules and models using case studies of relevance to chemical risk assessment  

Selection criteria - technical and professional capacity

1. Requirement 1: The tenderer overall must have extensive and demonstrable experience in the area of toxicokinetic and/or physiologically-based kinetic and /or bioaccumulation modelling  
Evidence requested: A list of three (3) major projects or publications related to the above mentioned areas of research carried out over the course of the past 5 years. 

Requirement 2:  The tenderer must be able to provide a team of four (4) experts compliant with the following minimum expertise requirements: 

• One (1) senior team leader with:
  • A PhD in biomedical sciences or toxicology or toxicokinetics or biostatistics and  
    At least 7 years of professional experience in applying toxicokinetic, physiologically-based kinetic and biologically-based modelling to chemical risk assessment using R and MCSim.  
• Three (3) senior experts with:
  • A PhD  in biomedical sciences or toxicology or toxicokinetics or biostatistics and  
  • At least 5 years of professional experience in the area of toxicokinetics, physiologically-based kinetic modelling, biologically-based modelling and/or bioaccumulation modelling using languages of relevance including R and MCSim.  

Requested evidence: 

• Detailed CVs (max. 3 pages) of the 4 project team members proposed for the assignment.
• One-page summary with the project team members, the covered profiles and indication of how the requirements are met.

Requirement 3: Professional Capacity (English language capacity)

All team members must have an excellent level of spoken and written English. For non-native speakers, this should be demonstrated by an official certificate of English proving a B2 level or at least 3 years of work or study in an English-speaking environment or by proof of (co)authorship of 7 scientific publications and/or reports in English language. 

Requested evidence: 

• Detailed CVs (max. 3 pages) of the project team members proposed for the assignment.
• One-page summary with the project team members and indication of how the English requirement is met. 

If you are interested in this procedure please send an email within the deadline to EFSAprocurement [at] efsa.europa.eu quoting the reference of the procedure and specifying the following:

• your name/organisation’s name and address;
• whether you participate as a physical person or an organisation/private company. 

If you intend to apply in joint offer with partners. In this case, you must clearly identify each member of the joint offer and which partner is appointed as the lead partner. The composition of the partners in a joint offer cannot be changed once the invitation to tender letter has been sent.