When collaborating with laboratories outside the UK researchers and their local ethics committees must check that welfare standards are consistent with the principles in UK legislation and the new guidelines. Any significant deviations will need prior approval from the funding body.
Although some funders have published guidance previously, this is the first time that the three research councils, the MRC, BBSRC and NERC, along with the research charity, the Wellcome Trust have collaborated to produce a common set of principles for using animals in research and applying the 3Rs of replacement, refinement and reduction that seek to reduce the number of animals used in research.
The organisations said the move reflects the growing multidisciplinarity of bioscience research, which means scientists are often funded by several different bodies. The guidelines outline the legal controls on using animals in research in the UK and fill in the details on how the 3Rs should be applied.
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