2025 UAR Openness Awards celebrate openness in animal research; lecture explores vaccine development challenges

EARA joined colleagues from several UK research institutions at the 2025 Openness Awards and the 88th Stephen Paget Memorial Lecture, hosted by Understanding Animal Research (UAR) at the Royal College of Physicians in London, 1 December. The event celebrated best practice among signatories of the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research, bringing together institutions committed to transparency. 

Attendees were fortunate the Stephen Paget Memorial Lecture was delivered this year by Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, from the Pandemic Science Institute (University of Oxford). Her captivating talk delved into the intricate challenges of developing vaccines for outbreak viruses, encompassing not only the COVID-19 pandemic, for which she spearheaded the groundbreaking Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, but also lesser-known diseases worldwide that pose a potential threat in the near future due to their zoonotic (animal-human) transmission. 

“We are always looking for opportunities to reduce the number of animals used. There is an increased focus on using human organoids to test vaccines and look at immune responses, but these are not fully ready to replace animals in the research we conduct. Animals are still very much needed,” said Sarah Gilbert in an interview with UAR. 

Professor Sarah Bailey (University of Bath) received the Individual Award for her dedication to communicating about animal research in challenging moments. The University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow and the CRUK Manchester Institute were also recognised for their efforts to engage diverse audiences and support the cultural shift in the UK towards openness in animal research. 

Read more here.