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The FIN3RC Symposium 2025 will take place on October 27-28, 2025 in Turku. More information available here. Join us!

FIN3R'S NEW WEBINAR!

Registration is open for the free webinar “Supporting Replacement in Academia” which will be presented by Barney Reed, RSPCA, UK

Date: Tuesday, 14 October 2025, at 14:00 (EEST, in Helsinki)

ABSTRACT

In the UK, and in many other countries, more than half of all animal use for scientific purposes takes place within universities and medical schools, primarily in fundamental and applied research. There are particular barriers to changing current research practices in these settings. These include social and cultural issues relating to ‘the way science is done’, and established systems of funding, publishing and career progression which can incentivise or ‘lock-in’ certain behaviours.

This presentation will discuss an ongoing RSPCA project exploring how these factors may impact upon the ability of scientists across the range of career levels to train in and adopt non-animal methods. Drawing on findings from in-depth semi-structured interviews with researchers using animals across UK universities, this presentation will highlight drivers of animal use and barriers and opportunities around the uptake and acceptance of non-animal methods in academic research. Individuals shared their insights, perspectives and concerns as they spoke candidly about the issues they faced (including knowledge, skills, and expertise; communities and networks; academic environment and pressures; access; and awareness and engagement) and the support they felt they, and those like them, would need.

In examining these factors, the project aims to offer tailored recommendations to funders, regulators, professional and learned societies, journal publishers, Animal Welfare Bodies, individual institutions and others, for further stimulating and supporting the replacement of animal use in academia.

Reference: McGlacken, R. & Reed, B. T. (2024). Supporting Replacement in Academia: Exploring barriers around the acceptance and uptake of non-animal methods in science in UK academia. RSPCA, Horsham, UK. Full report available at: https://tinyurl.com/SupportingReplacement2024

SPEAKER

Barney is Senior Science and Policy Manager in the Animals in Science Department of the RSPCA. He works with individuals and organisations involved in the regulation, use and care of lab animals in the UK, EU and across the world to promote the fullest implementation of the 3Rs, and support the development and uptake of non-animal methodologies, good cultures of care within institutions, and effective systems of ethical review.

He has served on the institutional Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Bodies (the UK equivalent of AWBs/AECs/IACUCs) of eight establishments across academia and industry, and been a member of numerous European Commission Expert Working Groups producing guidance on implementing Directive 2010/63/EU. Between 2016 and 2023, he was appointed to the UK national Animals in Science Committee. In October 2023 he was elected to the Governing Board of the International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS).
See more on LinkedIn at: www.linkedin.com/in/barneyreed

Registration for this webinar is required: https://helsinki.zoom.us/meeting/register/bc5P4U8PQ2So4SuHSd-A1Q

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. During the webinar, please keep your cameras off and your microphones muted. After the main talk, we have time for discussion where you can participate with your face and voice! This webinar will be locked when the meeting room limit (300) is reached.

join fin3r's WEBINAR!

Registration is open for the free webinar “Rethinking Replacement with the Replacement Checklist” which will be presented by Dr Juliet Dukes, Replacing Animal Research, UK.

Date: Tuesday, 04.11.2025, at 14:00 (EET, in Helsinki)

ABSTRACT

Based on the principle of replacement, UK and EU legislation requires that technologies or alternative approaches directly replacing or avoiding the use of animals in experiments must be used wherever scientifically possible. However, replacement is often not thoroughly considered, and failures in the existing system of checks and balances are widespread. Existing guidance and advice on searching for and identifying alternative approaches and replacement techniques is confusing and misleading, which contributes to the lack of confidence in addressing replacement and the structural and procedural barriers around it.

We present a simple and practical checklist tool, to help both researchers and reviewers to know what is needed to show that replacement obligations have been met and quickly identify if any crucial information is missing. This simple tool is accessible to the non-specialist and supports scientists, members of funding review panels, Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Bodies (AWERBs), Animal Welfare Bodies (AWBs), Animal Ethics Committees, and others preparing and reviewing applications— whether grant proposals or animal license applications.

Reference: Juliet P. Dukes, Amy Beale, and Celean Camp (2025) “Reviewing Current Guidance for the ‘R’ of Replacement and Rethinking it with the ‘Replacement Checklist’”, Alternatives to Laboratory Animals (ATLA) Vol. 53(2) 72–83 https://doi.org/10.1177/02611929251319265

SPEAKER

Juliet is the Research Manager at Replacing Animal Research in the UK. She works with individuals and organisations both within, and adjacent to, the research community in the UK and across the EU supporting full implementation of Replacement.

With an academic research background, Juliet has spent the past ten years working in the 3Rs, animal welfare and ethics. She now manages Replacing Animal Research’s grant funding programmes supporting the development of non-animal methods and works with all stakeholders to promote and uphold replacement, as the first, and the ultimate goal, of the 3Rs.

Juliet also serves on an institutional Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (the UK equivalent of AWBs/AECs/IACUCs), and convenes the FELASA Working Group for Replacement Training.

More information: linkedin.com/in/juliet-dukes-57291436

Registration for this webinar is required:

https://helsinki.zoom.us/meeting/register/ySgKJnfQT3-PJU36RGPZew

**This webinar will be locked when the meeting room limit (300) is reached**

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. During the webinar, please keep your cameras off and your microphones muted. After the main talk, we have time for discussion where you can participate with your face and voice!

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