Latest news from the NC3Rs: July 2024

To mark our 20-year anniversary we have produced an animated video showcasing some of our key achievements since the NC3Rs was founded in 2004. Thank you to all of the organisations who have funded our work, participated in our activities either as grant holders, collaborators or staff and helped champion the 3Rs around the world.

The NC3Rs team supported the development and writing of the new UKRI-wide policy on research and innovation involving animals. The policy is driven by the 3Rs principles, includes many of our resources and reflects recommendations made in the Rawle report published last year on review and approval processes for animal research.

Do you have data on a 3Rs innovation that you would like to share?

We are sponsoring selected abstracts for the 'Innovations in the 3Rs and Animal Science' section at the 61st LASA Annual Meeting in November. Bursaries will be awarded to speakers selected for the 3Rs session to cover travel costs.

Abstract submissions from early career researchers including PhD students are particularly welcome.

Take part in user testing to help us revise the RIVER (Reporting In Vitro Experiments Responsibly) recommendations and ensure they are clear, well understood and useful in practice.

Register your interest by Friday 2 August if:

• You use in vitro models in your research.
• You are drafting a manuscript to submit for publication.
• You would like to receive expert feedback on the transparency and reliability of your work before submission.

User testers will need to submit their draft manuscript (at least methods and results for one experiment) by Wednesday 28 August. Contact river@nc3rs.org.uk.

We have two non-animal method funding calls open for applications. Awards for both schemes will be made for spending in the 2024/25 financial year.

Non-animal methods infrastructure grants
A total of £4M is available for infrastructure to accelerate the use of approaches that replace the use of animals in research and testing.

Non-animal derived product validation grants
A total of £1M is available for projects seeking to characterise and validate the use of non-animal derived reagents and products for use in in vitro research.

We have partnered with BBSRC to deliver an ICURe Explore programme that will support NC3Rs, BBSRC and UKRI-funded scientists to understand the market potential of their 3Rs technologies and tools, maximising the 3Rs impact of their work and the chances of commercial success.

Teams can apply for up to £35k to conduct extensive research of supply chains, regulators, customers and competitors in a three-month, full-time market exploration programme. Applications open in September 2024.

Watch our recent webinar to hear from ICURe graduates about the benefits of the programme and get advice on how to write a strong application.

Thinking of applying? We are happy to discuss your application if you have any questions, contact deborah.milligan@nc3rs.org.uk.

To celebrate our 20-year anniversary, our public engagement awards are open to all researchers working to advance the 3Rs, regardless of their funder. Awards of up to £2k are available. So far we have funded projects from 3D printed fish and flies, 3Rs card games and a human-sized enriched rodent cage, to supporting patients or students to visit facilities, meet scientists and technicians and engage in 3Rs research – creative and imaginative ideas are encouraged!

Partnership and impact awards support researchers to work together to test and transfer 3Rs approaches between labs, accelerating the uptake of new approaches and achieving wider 3Rs impacts. Applications can include studies to validate or optimise a 3Rs approach, demonstrate reproducibility or transferability or apply a 3Rs model to a new discipline. Studies demonstrating that an approach is fit-for-purpose in a new lab or organisation are encouraged.

Additional joint awards with Cancer Research UK and British Hearth Foundation are available for grants seeking to achieve a 3Rs impact within cancer or cardiovascular research fields. Additional eligibility criteria apply.

Webinar recordings are available:

• Launch webinar.
• Writing a competitive partnership and impact award application.

Tuesday 10 September, 9.00 – 11.00 (BST)
Our Experimental Design Assistant (EDA) tool helps researchers at any level design robust in vivo experiments. During this interactive session Dr Esther Pearl (NC3Rs Programme Manager for Experimental Design) will give a live demonstration of the EDA before answering your questions and providing personalised feedback as you design your own experiment. 

Wednesday 11 September
Copenhagen, Denmark
We are participating in a satellite workshop session at EUROTOX 2024, focusing on dose level selection for Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology (DART) studies. Dr Fiona Sewell (NC3Rs Head of Toxicology) will take part alongside representatives from Charles River Laboratories and the European Chemicals Agency.

Friday 23 August
Brunel University London
Scientists using wax moth larvae in their research are invited to the third annual Galleria mellonella workshop for networking and discussion of methods, models and husbandry techniques. Travel awards are available with priority given to participants delivering a talk. Organised by NC3Rs-funded PhD student Evgenia Maslova in the McCarthy lab at Brunel University London, in collaboration with the Galleria Mellonella Research Centre.