The second annual report of the Transparency Agreement on Animal Research in the Netherlands, is published today, and shows that biomedical institutions are finding an increasing number of ways to communicate with the public.
The report, looks at the communication efforts of the 21 signatories institutions, during 2023. These consist of universities, university medical centres, scientific institutes, companies, and associations. The agreement was drafted in collaboration with the European Animal Research Association (EARA) and Stichting Informatie Dierproeven (SID) and is inspired by existing transparency agreements across Europe.
All signatories demonstrated that they provide opportunities for the public to find out more, for example by sharing news or breakthroughs, or by publishing articles on animal research and the 3R principles (the replacement, reduction, and refinement of the use of animals in research. The main findings of the report were:
Almost all signatories (88%) have interacted with the media in 2023 and most did so through an interview, or long-form piece. Multiple signatories arranged access to the facilities for the media. There was for example the interview (in Dutch) with Manon Beekhuijzen, head of Toxicology Operations at Charles River Laboratories about the current state of animal and animal-free research.
It’s possible for the public to visit animal facilities at 13 of the institutions and 10 do this on a regular basis.
More than half the institutions took part in local events and spoke about animal research, such as the annual Pint of Science festival and initiatives with local schools (53% and 41%, respectively).
In 2023, the signatories also held the second Open Week, where five signatories opened their research sites (either on location or virtually) to the public.
Many signatories now provide extensive information on their website, for example the animal research statisticspresented by the University of Groningen, or the “behind the scenes” videos shared by the Biomedical Primate Research Centre. SportvisserijNL (Sportsfishers’ Association) keeps people up to date on a running study with fish in the wild, via a dedicated Facebook page.
Meanwhile, Radboud University and Radboudumc teamed up with EARA and the Dutch Parkinson Association to launch EARA’s Patient Discovery Project in the Netherlands. 20 participants (patients and their loved ones) attended a symposium in the Lux theatre, Nijmegen with talks about different types of research and joined on a tour in Radboud’s research facilities, including the animal facilities.
The signatories of the Agreement are: Amsterdam UMC, Biomedical Primate Research Centre, Charles River Laboratories Den Bosch B.V., Envigo RMS B.V., Erasmus MC, Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Leiden University, Leiden University Medical Center, Maastricht University, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Radboudumc, TNO, University of Groningen, Vereniging Sportvisserij Nederland, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Wageningen University & Research.
For further information contact Netherlands Transparency Agreement co-ordinator Monique Havermans.