June 02 – 05 2025
Athens, Greece

Reducing Severity in Animal Research

About the Theme

Directive 2010/63/EU introduced, for the first time, requirements for the severity classification and reporting in scientific procedures carried out on animals.

Reducing severity, pain and distress in animal research is an ethical obligation of investigators, veterinarians, and animal care personnel, mandated also by the “3Rs” principles anchored in the directive.

As an integral part of conducting “good science”, reducing severity in animal research improves the well-being of laboratory animals and thus avoids unnecessary health problems, pain, and stress. This way will also reduce unwanted variables invalidating study results.

The congress will focus on the present situation, through lectures and workshops, and propose future perspectives for design of animal studies.

Preliminary Congress Programme

Please find the preliminary list of accepted sessions and workshops sorted by topic below. Click the toggle to find out more about the topic description, sessions and workshops. The elements marked in italics are Skill Up Technical Sessions. These aim at the applied practical work for technicians in the field.

Details on session dates and times are to be confirmed and will be updated closer to the congress.

1.Demonstrating Ethical Awareness and Accountability

Ethical values are key elements of animal research. How can ethical awareness and moral sensitivity be fostered in an organization? Which tools do we have? What is the role of Education and Training? Is knowing enough? How do we talk about suffering? How do we demonstrate accountability and commitment to never stop improving? What factors may threaten ethical practice?

Key words: Openness, transparency, quality, regulations and regulatory compliance, Animal Welfare Body, Ethics committee, Non-Technical Summary, severity reporting, best practice.

  • Accounting for ​Sex in Animal ​Experimentation
  • Awareness and Accountability in Project Evaluation
  • ​Harm-Benefit Analysis: A Tool for the Assessment of Benefit
  • Harmonising NHP Research and Legislation across Europe
  • Implementing the Amended Directive for Zebrafish
  • Lights and Shadows of Twelve Years of Genetically Altered Animals under the Scope of Directive 2010/63
  • Transparency – a Tool to Assess, Analyse and Take Action!

  • How to Teach to Perform the Statistical Report of the Uses and Breeding Surpluses of Genetically Altered Animals within the European Union.
  • Mastering Non-technical Summaries (NTS) Writing: Enhancing Transparency and Ethical Accountability
  • Practical Guidance for Implementation of an Institutional 3Rs Strategy
  • Promoting Accurate Statistical Reports on the Creation and Breeding of Genetically Altered Animals, including Surplus Animals in the European Union

2.Reducing Severity

Reducing severity in animal studies is essential. How can we best assure that this consideration is enforced? What is the role of Education and Training? What factors may threaten application of the least harmful approach?

Key words: Refinement, non-animal methods, endpoints, scoring, Genetically Altered Animals, 3Rs, experimental design, severity classification, harm-reduction, harm-benefit assessment, Continuous Professional Development.

  • Accurate Scoring of Actual Severity / How to Effectively Score Actual Severity
  • Collaborative European Effort on the 3Rs and Animal Welfare in Disease Modelling
  • Competence Assessor Training to Ensure Competency Training and Assessment by Trained Supervisors and Evaluators
  • HSBLAS Session: How to Train your Mouse and Rat?
  • Supporting Harm-benefit Assessments when Using Complex Neuroscience Laboratory Rodent Models

  • A Taster of Complex Models in the Classification and Reporting of Severity of Procedures
  • Accuracy and Confidence in Assessment: Constructing DOPS in Practice
  • Classification and Reporting of Severity of Procedures: Introductory Session Using ‘Basic’ Models
  • End to End Severity Reduction: From Generation to Colony, Refining GA Techniques and Practices
  • Focus on Severe Suffering 1 – Identifying Sub-lethal Clinical Signs in Fishes
  • Focus on Severe Suffering 2 – Retrospective Assessment of Projects Involving Procedures Classified as ‘Severe’
  • Principles of Rodent Aseptic Surgery: A Practical Approach to Surgical Asepsis and Suturing Techniques.
  • Reducing Severity by Training People: The Use of Live Animals in Training
  • RSPCA Roadmap to Reducing Severe Suffering
  • Score Sheets in Aquatics: Let’s Swerve between Species and Models
  • Self-made Score Sheet or Not? That’s the Question
  • Severity Classification and Reporting under Directive 2010/63/EU – A Train the Trainer Workshop
  • Using the ETPLAS DOPS for Assessing the Practical Skills of Personnel Working with Laboratory Animals

3. Improving Care and Welfare

Quoting Bernard Rollin ”depriving animals of the ability to fulfil their natural biologic functions is often a more significant harm than momentary interactions like drawing blood” – How can we assure the best lifetime experience for animals in our care? Which obstacles do we see and how can we overcome them?

Key words: Welfare assessment, assessing distress, pain management, contingent suffering, facilities, animal caretakers, veterinary care, enrichment, competence, habituation, training animals.

  • 3Rs in Laboratory Mouse Breeding
  • An Introduction to Zebrafish Husbandry and Care
  • Approaches to Improve the Husbandry of Laboratory Fishes
  • Caring for Fish
  • Mastering the Art of Clinical Score Sheets
  • Pig Training and Conditioning for Research: AALAS-FELASA Working Group Updates
  • The 3Hs (Housing, Handling and Habituation) Initiative: A Framework to Support Positive Welfare and Reduce Cumulative Suffering in Laboratory Animals
  • The Contribution of the Continuous Professional Development Programmes in Improving Animal Care and Welfare

  • Challenges in Rodent Anesthesia
  • ECLAM Workshop: Vets Present Your Case!

4. Fostering Culture of Care

Culture of Care is a global approach to caring for and working with research animals, also encompassing care for those caring for animals. How can leadership, formal and informal communication patterns, organizational structures foster a Culture of Care?  What are the threatening factors? How can Animal Welfare Bodies and Ethics Committees participate? How to encourage compassion satisfaction?

Key words: Leadership, Animal Welfare Body, communication, Education and Training, personnel recognition, compassion fatigue/compassion satisfaction, work satisfaction, staff care.

  • A Win-win Situation for Research Quality and Work Satisfaction: More Involvement of Animal Care Staff
  • Animal Welfare Bodies in Europe: A Valuable Partner to Culture of Care
  • Do I Have a Choice? Reconciling Personal and Professional Ethics in Laboratory Animal Science Training
  • Interpretation and Implementation of Culture of Care in Different Areas of the World
  • No Excuses Left – Lack of Competence Is not an Option
  • Transparency Agreements as Tools to Promote Ethical Awareness, Culture of Care, and Demonstrate Accountability to the Public

  • Effective Mediation Strategies for Animal Research: A Comprehensive Workshop to Enhance the Culture of Care within Institutions
  • Focus on Surgical Training: Tools for those Involved in Training and Assessing Surgical Procedures in Laboratory Animals
  • Supporting Trainees in Practical Training with Animals: How to Manage Individual Difficulties?

5. Aiming for a better future

New technologies are continuously emerging. Looking into the crystal ball, how can we best assure that future research animals benefit from this evolution? How may Continuous Professional Development contribute to change? How new techniques could be spread and include in animal research?

Key words: Artificial Intelligence (AI), remote monitoring, imaging techniques, home cage monitoring, sustainability, simulation, translatability.

  • ’You All Shouldn’t Be Here!’ – How to Burst the 3R Bubble
  • Addressing the Elephant in the Room? The Impact of Personnel Practices on Animal Research
  • AI-driven Advanced Animal Monitoring and Birth Detection: Enhancing Animal welfare and Research Precision
  • Better Future for Animals and Research – Promises of Automated Home Cage Monitoring
  • ETPLAS – Promoting Alternatives to Animal Testing through Accessible and Harmonised Education and Training
  • EU Roadmap towards Phasing Out Animal Testing for Chemical Safety Assessments
  • Experimental Design and Good Practice: Good for Animals, Researchers and Research
  • FELASA – its Visions, Missions and Liaisons
  • YOU Have the Power to Move Public Beliefs about Animal Research

  • Running Better Experiments

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