Register now for two upcoming sessions on best practice in research animal anaesthesia to improve welfare and experimental outcomes. 📅 16 and 25 June, 12.00 – 13.00 🙋🏻‍ For researchers, animal technicians and veterinarians 📜 Certificates of attendance available 👉 nc3rs.org.uk/welfare-webi...

Over 100 people joined our @pintofscience.uk events in Newcastle, Bristol and London last week to meet NC3Rs-funded scientists pioneering new approaches to replace animal use to study disease and develop medicines – including human tissue, organoids, organ-on-chip, 3D bioprinting and fruit flies.

Please note that our websites (including the main NC3Rs site, Innovation Platform and ARRIVE guidelines site) may be down for maintenance this evening (UK time) for up to an hour. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. This post will be updated once the work has been carried out.

We are supporting technical staff at Newcastle University to drive the uptake of refined mouse pick up methods across the UK. Discover how their workshops have supported staff at the University of Leeds to implement cup and tunnel handling as standard. Read the blog: nc3rs.org.uk/news/making-...

Are you interested in learning more about science happening in your city to study disease, find new drugs and improve human health without using animals? Meet scientists replacing animals in research at NC3Rs @pintofscience.uk events next week! 🎟️ Buy your ticket: pintofscience.co.uk/sponsor/nc3rs/

Our Experimental Design Assistant (EDA) can be used as a tool to teach others about key experimental design concepts in an interactive way. Join our online train-the-trainers workshop with @irise-eu.bsky.social to find out more. 📅 10 and 17 June, 13.00 – 16.00 BST 👉 nc3rs.org.uk/events/irise...

The countdown is on! The deadline for applications to our international 3Rs Prize, sponsored by GSK, is fast approaching. Submit your publication for consideration by Monday 4 May 2026: nc3rs.org.uk/internationa...

We invite researchers from around the world to showcase their 3Rs achievements on the global stage by applying for our annual NC3Rs 3Rs Prize: nc3rs.org.uk/internationa...

We are thrilled to be returning to @pintofscience.uk for our twelfth year as festival sponsors! Join us in Newcastle, Bristol and London as NC3Rs-funded scientists showcase innovations in replacement approaches and explore the future of alternatives to animals. 🎟️ pintofscience.co.uk/sponsor/nc3rs/

SIRF-UP is an @eu-sabv.bsky.social COST Action initiative to support ethical review bodies assess sex-inclusivity in animal research. Using female and male animals should be the default to reduce the total number of animals used and produce results that are generalisable to the whole population.

Webinar recording available: nc3rs.org.uk/3rs-resource... Myomaker Bio share an in vitro vascularised and innervated skeletal muscle model developed through the NC3Rs STRATIS CRACK IT Challenge to improve translation in musculoskeletal research and replace some animals in preclinical drug screening.

Are you interested in collaborating on the latest replacement technologies for chemical or drug testing? Register for the first two sessions in our upcoming Technology Partn3Ring webinar series on new approach methodologies: nc3rs.org.uk/crackit/nams... 📅 22 April and 6 May, 14.00 – 15.15 (BST)

We have awarded over £200k across nine teams through a new joint funding initiative with the BBSRC: nc3rs.org.uk/news/bridgin... Our Business Interaction Voucher awards support cross-sector collaborations to enhance the biological relevance of 3Rs models and ensure they are fit for use in industry.

To celebrate British Science Week, NC3Rs staff took part in eight @imascientist.org.uk online chats last week, meeting around 150 school students. It is always great to see how curious young people are about the ways that scientists are replacing, reducing and refining the use of animals!

⏳ Applications close this Friday, 6 March. If you are interested in becoming an Antibody Champion, complete the short (~10 minute) online application today to tell us why you would make a great champion and your current experiences of working with antibodies and promoting best scientific practice.

Register for upcoming 3Rs events from the NC3Rs and others taking place online this week: nc3rs.org.uk/events ⬇️ Details in the thread below.

Register for our next virtual workshop on using the Experimental Design Assistant (EDA): nc3rs.org.uk/events/exper... 📅 Wednesday 4 March, 16.00 – 18.00 (GMT) ⏰ Registration closes: Tuesday 3 March 📜 Certificates of attendance available for one CPD point

To support delivery of the UK Government’s alternatives strategy, we are working with @innovateuk.bsky.social on a Contracts for Innovation competition, with £2M available for non-animal approaches in pharmacokinetic prediction and cardiovascular safety. Learn more: nc3rs.org.uk/news/working...

📢 Webinar – Human in vitro tissue models of musculoskeletal disease and injury: nc3rs.org.uk/events/human... 📅 Thursday 5 March, 14.00 (GMT) Learn more about an in vitro vascularised and innervated skeletal muscle model of traumatic injury, developed through our STRATIS CRACK IT Challenge.

Virtual Second Species: Data driven and mechanistic modelling of the dog 📅 3 March, 13.00 (GMT)/14.00 (CET) 👉 nc3rs.org.uk/events/virtu... In their next ‘Virtually Speaking’ webinar, VICT3R @ihi-vict3r.bsky.social are showcasing the ‘Virtual Dog’ being developed through an NC3Rs CRACK IT Challenge.

Many medicines entering clinical trials fail because pre-clinical testing does not accurately predict effects in humans. A key reason? A gap between some 'pre-clinical models' and industry needs. A new ABPI/@nc3rs.bsky.social review sets out how to close this gap. abpi.org.uk/publications...

We are delighted to publish a report with @abpi.bsky.social that examines the UK landscape in human relevant in vitro models. It will help inform wider policy, funding and infrastructure requirements to accelerate translation and deliver benefits for pharmaceutical R&D. nc3rs.org.uk/news/landsca...

We are working with @oga-community.bsky.social to recruit a cohort of early career researchers who will drive the validation and use of better antibodies. Are you our next Antibody Champion? More details, eligibility and application process: nc3rs.org.uk/news/antibod...

Registration deadline: If you would like to join us on Thursday (5 February) for our interactive webinar on commercialising NAMs technologies, please register by 13.00 on Wednesday.

📢 Delivering the alternatives strategy – Pharmacokinetics and cardiac safety: nc3rs.org.uk/events/nc3rs... Join us and @innovateuk.bsky.social to explore how research collaboration and innovation can deliver government targets to replace animal use in drug development. 📅 10 March, Central London

Webinar recording – Replacing fish studies in chemical safety screening and regulatory environmental risk assessment: nc3rs.org.uk/3rs-resource... Learn more about fish cell line-based reproductive toxicity assays developed by aQuaTox Solutions GmbH and Eawag through our SAFE CRACK IT Challenge.

Do you use artificial intelligence to improve toxicity prediction, support regulatory science or reduce the reliance on animal use in safety assessment? Share your work and insights with the 3Rs Collaborative AI Initiative: forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/respon... ⏰ Survey closes: 21 February.

Join the conversation about commercialising new approach methodologies (NAMs) for safety assessment in an interactive webinar featuring a live Q&A with expert method developers at our next NAMs Network event. 📅 5 February, 13.00 (GMT) ⏰ Registration closes: 4 February 👉 nc3rs.org.uk/events/nc3rs...

@gmrc.bsky.social has published its rearing manual online: nc3rs.org.uk/3rs-resource... Reviewed by the NC3Rs and other external experts, this resource supports consistent, reliable and reproducible insect husbandry and empowers institutions to adopt wax moth larvae as a partial replacement model.

Register for our online workshop ‘Rigorous experiments and clear communication with the Experimental Design Assistant’ as part of Love Methods Week this January: nc3rs.org.uk/events/love-... 📅 20 January, 9.00 – 11.00 (GMT) ⏰ Registration closes 19 January 📜 Certificates of attendance available

2026 is continuing where 2025 left off with a focus on alternatives to animal use in research and testing. Today the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology published a POSTnote on this topic highlighting the opportunities and challenges: post.parliament.uk/research-bri...

Developed in direct response to NC3Rs recommendations, new guidance from the World Health Organisation (@who.int) encourages manufacturers and regulators to replace or remove animal-based quality control methods for vaccines and biologics: nc3rs.org.uk/news/new-who...

Eight teams kick-started the commercialisation of their 3Rs tools and technologies this year through the BBSRC-NC3Rs ICURe Explore programme. Learn more about their success and next steps to translate new approaches into real-world applications that minimise animal use: nc3rs.org.uk/news/driving...

Our next welfare webinar will focus on practical guidance to habituate dogs, minipigs and non-human primates to procedures in toxicology studies, minimising stress and refining their use in safety assessment. 📅 Thursday 29 January, 12.30 – 13.30 (GMT) 👉 Register: nc3rs.org.uk/events/welfa...

The OECD has agreed to develop new guidance that will reduce the number of fish used in some environmental toxicology studies. This is a result of work led by the NC3Rs and collaborators to understand and solve challenges in vitellogenin assessment. Find out more: nc3rs.org.uk/news/new-int...

Join @drejpearl.bsky.social at @unistrathclyde.bsky.social 3Rs day next week for an interactive workshop on using the Experimental Design Assistant to design rigorous in vivo experiments, with live support and guidance on hand. 📅 Friday 5 December 👉 Find out more: nc3rs.org.uk/events/unive...

Our Chief Executive Vicky Robinson appears in @resprofnews.bsky.social today, in an opinion piece focusing on the UK government's ambitious strategy to replace the use of animals in research and testing: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v....

📢 Webinar: Data-driven design of fish cell line-based reproductive toxicity assays 📅 Tuesday 9 December, 14.00 – 15.00 (GMT) 👉 nc3rs.org.uk/events/data-... Learn about in vitro assays to replace some in vivo fish tests in environmental risk assessment, developed through our SAFE CRACK IT Challenge.

At the @lasa-uk.bsky.social conference this week Jess Eddy shared NC3Rs resources on evaluating environmental enrichment: nc3rs.org.uk/3rs-resource... Other talks in a great 3Rs session covered best practice in oncology, positive welfare science, zebrafish enrichment and rodent housing refinements.

Congratulations to @alessiovagnoni.bsky.social who has been announced as a recipient of this year’s AAALAC International Global 3Rs Award recognising his ongoing work in advancing the 3Rs: www.aaalac.org/awards/globa...

The latest issue of Tech3Rs, our newsletter for animal technicians, has been published: nc3rs.org.uk/3rs-resource...

The NC3Rs has a strong track record in investing in in vitro models of human disease that replace the use of animals. We have recently partnered with the MRC, Wellcome and Innovate UK on a £15.9M funding call to develop human in vitro models of complex disease. nc3rs.org.uk/news/nc3rs-g...

Today the UK government has released a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods. Read more: www.gov.uk/government/n...

❗Survey deadline extended: Friday 12 December❗ If you have experience of the monocyte activation test as a replacement for the rabbit pyrogen test, please take 30 minutes to share your insights: nc3rs.org.uk/our-portfoli...

Our next welfare webinar will focus on using positive reinforcement techniques to improve the welfare of pigs and dogs in research by encouraging voluntary cooperation with procedures and reducing stress. 📅 Thursday 27 November, 12.30 – 13.30 (GMT) 👉 Register: nc3rs.org.uk/events/welfa...

New publication: Home-cage monitoring to refine and reduce animal use in drug safety testing A cross-sector collaboration demonstrates that non-invasive, continuous monitoring of rodent behaviour improves detection of central nervous system side effects for new drugs. 👉 nc3rs.org.uk/news/home-ca...

⏳ Pyrogenicity testing survey closing on Thursday 7 November. Please take 30 minutes to share your insights into the monocyte activation test and support our work to drive wider adoption of non-animal approaches in biologics quality control testing. Take the survey: nc3rs.org.uk/our-portfoli...

@inserm.fr have reached approaching 1,000 researchers with a training course that uses the NC3Rs Experimental Design Assistant (EDA) to teach best practice for experimental design of in vivo studies. Learn more in our interview with the organiser behind Parcours-EDA: nc3rs.org.uk/news/experim...

Our Chief Executive Vicky Robinson provided comment on the statistics of scientific procedures on animals carried out in Great Britain in 2024, released today. Read the report from the Home Office: www.gov.uk/government/s...

NC3Rs staff have co-authored a new chapter in the fourth edition of the IACUC Handbook to support ethical review bodies assess the reliability of animal research. It includes practical support to avoid animals being wasted in studies that produce unreliable results: nc3rs.org.uk/news/conside...