Prof. Adrian Smith: Norecopa: a National Consensus Platform working to advance the 3Rs internationally

Am Montag, den 19.07.2021 um 19 Uhr findet das 4. Webinar in der 3R-Fortbildungsreihe statt. Diesmal wird es einen Vortrag auf Englisch geben über die PREPARE Guidelines, das International Culture of Care Network und den Refinement Wiki. Kostenlose Anmeldung über Eventbrite

Prof. Adrian Smith: Presentation "Norecopa: a National Consensus Platform working to advance the 3Rs internationally"

Professor Adrian Smith, Secretary to the Norwegian 3Rs platform Norecopa, received the 2020 Charles River Excellence in Refinement Award. Charles River, in cooperation with the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT), has sponsored this Award since 2005. Prof. Smith was honored for his long-standing contributions not only to Refinement of animal experimentation but to all the 3Rs. On July 19th, he will present a number of projects he is currently working on.

Abstract:

Norecopa: a National Consensus Platform working to advance the 3Rs internationally

Norecopa is Norway’s 3R platform, with a Board that represents all the four major stakeholders in animal research: regulators, industry, scientists and animal welfare organisations. It is affiliated to the European umbrella organisation ecopa, whose aim is to seek consensus between stakeholders and advance the three Rs of Russell & Burch (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement). Norecopa was established in 2007, and has built up a website with over 8,500 pages of global 3R resources. The site contains several databases produced by Norecopa’s staff and the EU Commission: these include 3R Guide (a global overview of guidelines for animal research) and NORINA (a database of audiovisual aids which can replace animal use in education, at all levels from school dissections to undergraduate courses and training of animal care staff and scientists). Norecopa is involved in a number of strategies to improve the quality of preclinical science. These include:

• The PREPARE guidelines were written to encourage scientists – with good help from animal care staff – to plan more valid, reproducible and translatable experiments which fully implement the 3Rs. PREPARE includes a 2-page checklist, available in 25 languages, and a website with more information about all the topics on the checklist. PREPARE helps scientists realise the importance of close collaboration with animal care staff from day 1 of planning.
• In 2020, Norecopa launched a Refinement Wiki , with the aim of offering all animal care staff a portal where they can publish their experiences in trying to refine animal experiments. The Wiki aims to be a halfway-house between scientific publications and conversations on discussion forums (where many worthwhile ideas get mentioned, only to be forgotten in time by most). Staff can either post ideas themselves, or request Norecopa to publish them on their behalf.
• Norecopa also hosts the website of the International Culture of Care Network. This is a group of professionals, of all categories, who share ways in which we can improve the support given to personnel in research facilities: recognising efforts made to improve animal welfare, avoiding compassion fatigue and developing a state of trust so that any member of the group has the confidence to raise an issue, or challenge a proposed route of action without fear of reprisals.

Bio:

Professor Adrian Smith is Secretary of the Norwegian 3Rs platform Norecopa. Adrian is a British veterinarian who graduated from Cambridge University in 1979. After a year in mixed practice in the UK, he emigrated to Norway where he has lived since. For much of this time he was employed by the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, where he held the Chair in Laboratory Animal Science from 1988 and until he left the School in 2011. He was heavily involved in the work of introducing courses in Laboratory Animal Science in Norway, and has arranged over 50 courses for all personnel categories. He has been the Secretary of Norecopa since it was established in 2007. He has co-authored several databases in this area which are now embedded in the Norecopa website. He is lead author of the PREPARE guidelines for planning animal experiments.