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Launch of a roadmap for non-animal technologies

The publication front cover of a roadmap on non-animal technologies (NATs)

The NC3Rs in partnership with five other organisations – Innovate UK, the BBSRC, EPSRC, MRC, and Dstl – has published a roadmap on developing and applying non-animal technologies (NATs) to improve the methods and tools available for the safety and efficacy testing of pharmaceuticals, veterinary products, chemicals, agrichemicals and consumer products.

The roadmap sets out a vision for the UK as a market leader in NATs and the steps to delivering this. It brings together a unique collaboration between the major public funders of the underpinning science and technologies for NATs, with the capabilities of those driving innovation in the UK economy, and the 3Rs “know-how” and leadership of the NC3Rs.The roadmap is part of a wider programme which has already seen the launch of an online NATs forum and £10 million invested in business-led NATs R&D.

Commenting on the roadmap the NC3Rs Head of Innovation and Translation Dr Kathryn Chapman said: “The NC3Rs networks across industry and academia have been critical in demonstrating the case for expanding the UK’s efforts in the area of non-animal technologies. There is much to be gained by harnessing and exploiting technologies from the science base to improve the safety and efficacy testing of products, not least because this provides a fantastic opportunity to replace and reduce the use of animals.“

The background to the NATs programme can be found in this blog, and the roadmap document can be viewed here.