Peer review and advice service

We work with research funding bodies to embed the 3Rs in their policies and practice. This includes reviewing research proposals and developing guidelines. These activities help to ensure that animal welfare standards are genuinely high and exceed the legal minima, and overseas work is conducted to standards equivalent to those in the UK.

We review grant applications for 28 funding organisations, including UKRI Research Councils and members of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), where these propose to use the following species:

• Non-human primates
• Dogs
• Cats
• Equines 
• Pigs (BBSRC and a minority of other funders only).

Other research proposals that raise special concerns can also be referred to the NC3Rs on a case-by-case basis. 

We advise on opportunities to implement the 3Rs, raise specific animal welfare concerns, highlight where good practice is not being adopted, and monitor implementation of specific policies and guidance. This advice is used during decisions on funding and when drafting the terms and conditions of grant awards.

Working with funders, we have published guidelines to promote high standards in the design, conduct, analysis and reporting of animal research. Compliance with the principles in each of the following guidelines is a condition of receiving funds for animal research:

• Responsibility in the Use of Animals in Bioscience Research
• Non-Human Primate Accommodation, Care and Use
• ARRIVE guidelines

Examples of the 3Rs impacts that our review and guidelines have achieved can be found in Table 2 of the NC3Rs Evaluation Framework report.

UK funders expect high standards in animal research regardless of geographical location. This includes meeting or exceeding UK standards of animal welfare and ensuring 
appropriate experimental design for preclinical studies at contract research organisations (CROs).

Applicants are responsible for obtaining sufficient information to be confident that any CROs meet the requirements of the funding body. 

The guidance available to download below is primarily for those contracting work using animals for drug development studies outside of the UK, however the principles also apply to any work conducted overseas as part of a collaboration. 

There is information available on the NC3Rs website to support you in applying the 3Rs and meeting funders’ expectations. Some key resources are given below:

• Responsibility in the Use of Animals in Bioscience Research
• Non-Human Primate Accommodation, Care and Use
• The ARRIVE guidelines
• The Experimental Design Assistant (EDA)
• The 3Rs resources available on the NC3Rs website, for example:
  • Experimental design and reporting
  • Tackling experimental design in your funding proposal
  • Toxicology and regulatory science
  • In vivo techniques
  • The macaque website
  • Dog housing and husbandry