New Skills and Knowledge Transfer grants awarded

This scheme facilitates the exchange of 3Rs models, tools or technologies between laboratories and institutions helping to ensure that barriers to changes in practice (such as a lack of knowledge, skills or confidence) are addressed and advances in the 3Rs are rapidly adopted by the scientific community. The scheme is part of the NC3Rs strategy to tackle the 3Rs “valley of death”, the lag between the development and uptake of 3Rs approaches.

• Dr Laura Scullion Hall from the University of Stirling has been funded to develop an online learning platform for researchers and animal care staff who work with dogs, focusing on handling and training of the animals. This will help to widen knowledge of the factors that can affect dog welfare and how they can be mitigated. The main partner in the project is the pharmaceutical company GSK, although the resource will be relevant to other industry organisations in the EU, Asia and North America.
   
• Dr Jonathan Brown from the University of Exeter has been awarded funding to support the transfer of the TaiNi wireless EEG recording technology, developed with NC3Rs CRACK IT Challenges funding, to his dementia research in mice, helping to build confidence in this new technology which has significant animal welfare benefits compared to the standard tethering of mice for brain recording studies. The award will support a collaboration with scientists at Eli Lilly who were involved in the original work to develop TaiNi.
   
• Working with scientists in the UK, Italy and North America, Dr Johnny Roughan from Newcastle University has been funded to support the adoption of non-aversive handing methods for mice in a range of scientific disciplines including cancer, liver disease cardiac disease and neuropathic pain.