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Advice on the development of alternative methods to animal experiments
Scientists of ZEBET answer questions put forward by public authorities, scientists, animal welfarists, industry and interested citizens around the topic of alternatives to animal experiments – on a national and international level.
Over the last twenty years, ZEBET – the “Centre for the Documentation and Evaluation of Alternatives to Animal Experiments” at BfR – has developed substantial expert knowledge on the topic of alternative methods. The staff makes this knowledge available to contacts from science, the business community, politics, media, associations, non-governmental organisations, consumers, animal welfarists and other stakeholders in different ways.
Research institutes, public authorities and individuals
can make direct enquires on alternative methods and ask ZEBET for an opinion. This can involve questions on the official recognition of methods, the current state of research but also technical execution.
Federal state authorities
can ask scientists of ZEBET to review whether an animal experiment project applied for can be approved under the German Animal Welfare Act and the European Directive on the Protection of Animals Used for Scientific Purposes, which since its revision in 2010 also includes an EU severity classification of procedures. In this connection the application is reviewed in an anonymised form by ZEBET staff, but also by scientists from other departments or federal institutes in a strictly confidential manner, to establish the indispensability of the test project and test planning. The advice by ZEBET serves not only to support the public authority in the authorisation procedure but also the applicant in view of experiment planning.
Scientists
are supported by ZEBET at the development and establishment of new alternative methods with the knowledge from many years of experience in the development, validation and official recognition of alternative methods.
