BOARD – Be Open About Animal Research Day – is a global, 24-hour social media campaign, created by EARA in 2021, which celebrates openness by biomedical institutions across the world in communicating animal research.
Celebrating openness about animal research
Despite the welcomed increase in openness about animal research over the last decades, institutions worldwide continue to have barriers when communicating animal research, including a lack of examples of best practices and confidence and institutional inertia. BOARD encourages and supports institutions and individuals to overcome these barriers.
With hundreds of participants around the world and a growing impact, BOARD has been a driving force in promoting an institutional shift that prioritises transparency in animal research. Every year, BOARD contributes to showcasing good animal research practices, to counteract misinformation about animal research and to celebrate those who work to provide animals with the best care and welfare while contributing to animal and human health. how to respond to difficult questions in a constructive, evidence-based way.
Participate in #BOARD26
Do you or your institution work with animals and/or new approach methodologies?
We welcome you to join the sixth edition of #BOARD26 taking place on Thursday, 9 July 2026.
Register until 7 May, 2026Click here for content suggestions and instructions for preparing different types of submissions.
For the first time ever, #BOARD will be a theme-driven campaign, addressing a commonly spread, misleading and polarising message that portrays animal research and new approach methodologies (NAMs) as competing rather than complementary. NAMs cover a wide range of tools, including advanced in vitro systems, organoids, organs-on-chip, computational modelling and human data approaches that are transforming biomedical research. However, the misconception that NAMs can already replace all animal research has been influencing policy decisions that endanger scientific progress.
We call on the scientific community to participate in the public discussion at this crucial time and let the public know about the value of both animals and NAMs in science.
We call on the scientific community to participate in the public discussion at this crucial time and let the public know about the value of both animals and NAMs in science.
For more information, please contact Helena Pinheiro, #BOARD26 co-ordinator at hpinheiro@eara.eu.