3Rs Animal Ethics Award

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are:

• Academic and professional staff holding full time or fractional (0.4 FTE or greater) appointments at UWA (including adjunct, clinical and honorary staff) at the time of the award.
• Postgraduate students enrolled on a full-time or part-time basis at the time of the award.

Other eligibility criteria:

• The work must have had an Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) approval period that was active in the last two years.
• Please note: Any AEC finding of non-compliance with the approval may render the protocol ineligible for this award.

Application Process

Applicants must:

• Complete the application form:

• Demonstrate how the work has, or is currently, leading to Replacement, Reduction or Refinement in the use of sentient animals in research, teaching and animal care.
• Use language suitable for lay people.
• Submit the application to [email protected] by 9th September 2022.

Judging

• The Award is made by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) on the recommendation of the UWA Animal Ethics Committee. 
• The award will be a payment of $5000 to the successful applicant's PG account.
• The Animal Ethics Committee may also make formal commendations to runners up for the Award, as it deems appropriate.

Enquiries and Submission

Further Information on the 3Rs

The principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement (the 3Rs) are the internationally accepted ethical framework for the humane use of animals in scientific studies.

The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) website (www.nc3rs. org.uk/page.asp?id=7) provides detailed information about the 3Rs, including the definitions outlined below:

Replacement

Refers to methods that avoid or replace the use of animals in an area that they would otherwise be used. This can be "absolute" i.e. using methods that don't use animals at any time e.g. computer modelling; human volunteers or in vitro methodologies; utilising established human or animal cell lines; animal cells, tissues and organs from animals killed by a humane method and abattoir material from the meat industry. Replacement can also be made by using alternate animal models e.g. invertebrates, such as Drosophila (fruit fly) and nematode worms.

Reduction

Refers to methods which minimise animal use and enable researchers to obtain comparable levels of information from fewer animals or to obtain more information from the same number of animals, thereby reducing future use of animals. Examples of reduction methods include improved experimental design and statistical analysis; using imaging techniques to image at multiple time points and the sharing of data and resources.

Refinement

Refers to improvements to scientific procedures and husbandry which minimise actual or potential pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm and/or improve animal welfare in situations where the use of animals is unavoidable. Refinement applies to the lifetime experience of the animal. There is evidence that refinement not only benefits animals, but can also improve the quality of research findings. Examples of refinement methods include non-invasive techniques, improved anaesthetic and analgesic regimes for pain relief, training animals to voluntarily co-operate with procedures and providing environmental enrichment.