This page provides information and resources about the involvement of animals in research.<\/p>\n
Legislation and guidance changes and it is your responsibility to make sure you comply with the law.<\/p>\n
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) supports the continued involvement of animals in scientific research, but only when the following strict conditions are met:<\/p>\n
Read the UKRI policy on research and innovation involving animals<\/a>.<\/p>\n Researchers and institutions that receive BBSRC funding for research using animals must comply with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 on GOV.UK<\/a>.<\/p>\n When applying, you must demonstrate consideration of the \u20183Rs\u2019 in your experimental design<\/a>:<\/p>\n These are methods that avoid or replace the use of animals in an area where they would otherwise have been used.<\/p>\n This includes improvements to scientific procedures and husbandry which minimise actual or potential:<\/p>\n This also includes improvements to animal welfare in situations where the use of animals is unavoidable.<\/p>\n These are methods which minimise current and future animal use by enabling researchers to get either:<\/p>\n If your application includes animal involvement, you must download and complete the ‘Research involving the use of animals’ template<\/a>\u202f.<\/p>\n This attachment must be submitted within the \u2018Research involving the use of animals’ section of the application.<\/p>\n You must include additional information that will need to be reviewed by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs<\/a>) if your research involves any of the following:<\/p>\n If you are proposing to conduct overseas research involving animals, it must be conducted in accordance with UKRI policy on involving animals in research<\/a>. It is the responsibility of the project lead to ensure all named applicants in the UK and overseas are aware of this requirement.<\/p>\n You must provide a statement in the ‘Conducting research with animals overseas’ section of the application form to confirm that:<\/p>\n You will need to additional questions if your research involves any of the following species:<\/p>\n Download and complete the relevant use of animals overseas checklist at NC3RS<\/a>.<\/p>\n Your application will also need to be assessed by NC3Rs if your research involves:<\/p>\n You\u2019ll need to complete the \u2018Research involving the use of animals\u2019 template<\/a>.<\/p>\n A detailed justification of any animal costs incurred should be given in the \u2018Resources and cost justification\u2019 section.<\/p>\n You should also give details of any breeding programmes, if appropriate, to support the number of animals required.<\/p>\n You can include the costs of both the animals themselves and their maintenance. These costs may be shown as either:<\/p>\n Applications must include a breakdown of animal costs, including weekly maintenance charges.<\/p>\n You won\u2019t be penalised for including costs to guarantee animal welfare, or if your application exceeds the required animal welfare standards.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re considering the use of animals from commercial suppliers, you should make sure they\u2019re UK-based wherever possible to minimise the risk of suffering during transport.<\/p>\n You must use Home Office-approved suppliers if your research involves any of the following:<\/p>\n If your research involves rhesus macaques, we ask you to source these from the Medical Research Council Centre for Macaques (CFM) at Porton Down<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the \u2018Experimental Design and Statistical Framework\u2019 section of the \u2018Research involving the use of animals\u2019 template, include details of the:<\/p>\n You must make a clear case for how the chosen design will enable the stated objectives of your research to be achieved.<\/p>\n NC3Rs has an Experimental Design Assistant tool<\/a> that can help you describe your experimental plans and analyses.<\/p>\n If your research involves genetically modified organisms, work must not start until approval has been received from the appropriate Local Ethical Committee or other appropriate authority.<\/p>\n Where experiments involve genetically altered animals, you should refer to the UKRI policy on research and innovation involving animals.<\/p>\n For research involving genetically altered mice, you should also refer to the report on \u2018Assessing the welfare of genetically altered mice\u2019 on Sage Journals<\/a>.<\/p>\nCheck your research meets animal welfare standards<\/h2>\n
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Replacement<\/h3>\n
Refinement<\/h3>\n
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Reduction<\/h3>\n
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How to include animal involvement in your application<\/h2>\n
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Overseas research involving animals<\/h3>\n
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Research involving certain species<\/h4>\n
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How to include animal costs in your application<\/h2>\n
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Animal suppliers<\/h3>\n
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Experimental Design and Statistical Framework<\/h2>\n
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Genetically altered animals<\/h2>\n
Ask a question about animals in research<\/h2>\n