Through these unprecedented times, the NC3Rs continues to operate to support researchers and animal care staff with their 3Rs initiatives. We are working to keep our website updated so it remains a comprehensive source of 3Rs information, and will continue to update this page as the situation develops.
Page last updated: 14 January 2021
Advice for researchers and animal care staff
For researchers around the world who would like advice on the 3Rs, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Whether you are an NC3Rs grant holder, potential applicant or otherwise, our expert team can review information provided by email or have a virtual meeting with you.
Animal care staff around the world work tirelessly to care for research animals and continue to go the extra mile. We're here to support you with practical 3Rs advice, best accessed through our dedicated hub for animal technicians.
If you have any queries, please email enquiries@nc3rs.org.uk to be put in touch with the right NC3Rs staff member or team.
Embedding the 3Rs in COVID-19 return to research plans
As in vivo researchers return to work following periods of lockdown, keeping the 3Rs a priority remains crucial. We have produced guidance on key considerations and resources for researchers returning to working with laboratory animals, categorised into four equally important areas.
Breeding and colony management
Many researchers returning to work after lockdowns are faced with the challenge of needing to rapidly breed experimental cohorts from reduced stock or to finish experiments started prior to lockdown. Working with an expert group of researchers and colony managers, we have produced guidance on how to re-commence experiments after a pause with an emphasis on minimising the number of mice used.
Resources
For anyone working in a laboratory setting, we have practical information on a wide range of topics to help you continue to do good science by keeping the 3Rs a priority. These include:
- Blood sampling.
- E-learning resources including modules on welfare assessment, euthanasia and anaesthesia.
- Experimental design resources, including the ARRIVE guidelines and the Experimental Design Assistant.
- Housing and husbandry information for different species, including rats, mice, rabbits, cats, dogs and non-human primates.
- How to pick up a mouse pages including video tutorials.
- Reuse of needles advice.
- Rodent welfare.
- Welfare of non-human primates.
We have also compiled a new hub, containing links to upcoming NC3Rs webinars and recordings of past webinars, covering a variety of 3Rs topics.
Peer review
Our peer review and advice service is continuing to review proposals from 28 funding organisations, including many for COVID-19 research.
Read more about this service and check out our tips for applicants for advice on preparing your application for this process.
NC3Rs grant holders
We are managing both the potential and realised impacts on our organisation as well as on our grant holders and continue to put in place plans to mitigate for these as effectively as we can.
We are doing our best to continue with business-critical activities and in supporting our grant holders to do the same, including through applying no-cost extensions on a case-by-case basis.
Our grant holders are encouraged to email 3rsgrants@nc3rs.org.uk with any queries, and a member of the funding team will respond as soon as possible.
