ZEBET - Information service
Task
In ZEBET's work the task of advising public authorities on complying with animal welfare provisions enjoys the highest priority. Furthermore, ZEBET responds to inquiries from scientists, animal welfare officers and other interested parties on the use of alternatives to animal experiments.
Moreover, ZEBET is involved in the scientific assessment of national and international research projects and animal welfare research prizes which aim to develop or validate alternative methods.
Sources for the information service
The ZEBET information service draws on:
- Reports, protocols and references to which ZEBET has access through its involvement in national and international validation projects, standardisation committees and other working groups;
- Research in national and international biomedical reference and factual databases through DIMDI (German Institute for Medical Documentation and Information, Cologne).
Number of inquiries
Between 1990 and 2001 ZEBET responded to a total of 3,068 inquiries. Half of the inquiries came from industry, universities and research centres, i.e. from the field of experimental biomedicine.
In principle, the number of inquiries on in vitro methods is on the increase from laboratories both inside and outside Germany which would like to establish new methods. This development has been prompted by the growing recognition of safety toxicological in vitro test methods which have been validated by ZEBET on the international level in close cooperation with the EU and the chemical-pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry.
