FAQ on the CREMe Research Network

1. What is CREMe Research Network (CRN)?
2. Why should I become a member of CRN?
3. What do I have to do to become a member of CRN?
4. How much does it cost to join CRN?
5. What kind of issues are discussed in CRN?

1. What is CREMe Research Network (CRN)?

CREMe emerged out of more than six years of scientific research in Trinity College Dublin. Our interest in scientific research has never ceased. We are working on bringing together researchers from all over the world who are experts in the related areas of consumer exposure to chemicals in food, cosmetics and the environment.

There are two basic levels of membership of CRN:

1. CRN Forum membership: You will be part of our international expert forum and have the possibility to discuss important research issues with other experts of your own area or related areas. You can view reports published within CRN by its members. This membership level is free of charge.

2. Full membership: If you sign up to use the online CREMe tools (Food Safety, Nutrition, Nano Foods or Cosmetics), you will automatically be provided with full CRN membership allowing you to be part of the expanding group of experts who are using CRN to share expertise, data and reports on their safety analysis. This membership level is included in the CREMe tools license fee.

In exceptional cases free membership can be granted to private individuals interested in issues discussed within the network.

With the help of CRN you will have access to:

• An international network of experts and researchers for collaboration
• Exclusive CREMe reports and articles on current scientific issues that are not publicly available
• A user directory and online forum to enable direct contact and opinion exchange between fellow researchers
• A Forum for requesting specific reports and articles of interest to you
• A Research Experts Chatroom

In combination with the CREMe tools (Food Safety, Nutrition, Nano Foods or Cosmetics) this gives the additional benefits of:

• Standardised scientifically validated models for calculations
• Growing data sets on consumer behaviour and chemical concentrations. You can choose if you want to share your own data or keep them private
• High Performance Computing for fast data analysis
• Data that members make publicly available within the network stored in one central convenient location, formatted and ready to be used for your assessment calculations

The goal of this network is to make it possible for researchers in the areas of food, consumer products and chemicals to be able to grow their research contacts, exchange their opinions and results and to collaborate in order to access data and expertise amongst their peers in other organisations.

2. Why should I become a member of CRN?

CREMe Research Network (CRN) provides many benefits to you as a researcher and scientist and all of them are completely free of charge. CRN is a network of experts, with whom you – being an expert yourself – can exchange opinions, ideas, reports and research data.

You will have access to our user-directory so you can contact your fellow research colleagues directly to discuss research projects and potential for collaborative efforts.

3. How do I become a member of CRN?

Depending on the frequency of your research projects, you may want to choose one of the two memberships offered:

1. CRN Forum membership: You will be part of our international expert forum and have the possibility to discuss important research issues with other experts of your own area or related areas. You can view reports published within CRN by its members.
2. Full membership: If you sign up to use the online CREMe tool (Food Safety, Nutrition, Nano Foods or Cosmetics), you will automatically be provided with full CRN membership allowing you to be part of the expanding expert group who are using CRN to share expertise, data and reports on their safety analysis.

In exceptional cases free membership can be granted to private individuals interested in issues discussed within the network.

If you would like more information on this, or if you would like to join CRN, please send an e-mail to crn@cremesoftware.com

4. How much does it cost to join CRN?

There are 2 basic levels of membership of CRN (see question 3).

1. CRN Forum membership: This membership level is free of charge.
2. Full membership: When you sign up to use the online CREMe tool (Food Safety, Nutrition, Nano Foods or Cosmetics), this membership fee is included in the CREMe tool license fee.

In exceptional cases free membership can be granted to private individuals interested in issues discussed within the network.

5. What kind of issues are discussed in CRN?

All issues relating to food, cosmetic, chemical and environmental safety with an emphasis on consumers and exposure are discussed in CRN. CRN is comprised of a number of forums, each of which contains a number of discussion threads. Currently the top level forums are:

• REACH, Chemicals & Cosmetics
• FP7 and Other Collaboration Projects
• Food Issues
• Environmental Issues
• General Exposure Forum
• Data Sets and Probabilistic Exposure Assessment Issues
• International Issues

For a summary of the types of discussions that are going on, see the forum page which shows some recent questions and answers.