The annual Openness Awards, hosted by Understanding Animal Research, UK, took place in person last week, rewarding excellent examples of communication about animal research in the UK.
Three institutions received awards, including the University of Cambridge, for its extensive website updates, such as articles on the use of animals, particularly guinea pigs and hamsters, in the development of vaccine candidates for Covid-19.
The webpages are now simpler to navigate, making it easier to find information on each type of animal used and why, and also includes videos of procedures involving animals, plus an article on the development of wireless devices for limb control.
Agenda Life Sciences were awarded for their video series documenting the refurbishment of their animal facilities, offering a new perspective on the housing and a transparent view of how these facilities are run.
The Pirbright Institute, Surrey, was also commended at the ceremony for the completeness of its practices, from posters that display its animal work, to open-door ethics committee meetings.
The awards were followed by the annual Stephen Paget Memorial Lecture, delivered this year by Clare Stanford, Professor of Translational Neuropharmacology at UCL, London, about her work using animals in studies on drug treatments for depression.