Because the use of animals in scientific research creates moral obligations, the UvA observes a number of strict general principles based on the so-called 3 Rs: replace, reduce and refine.

Our general principles

• Opt for alternative, non-animal research methods if possible;
• If there are no alternatives, use as few animals as possible;
• Animals must be given the best care possible and experience as little suffering as possible.

Measures

• Anyone who works with laboratory animals at the university must have undergone thorough training, preparation and assessment;
• All research is subject to an external review by an Animal Ethics Committee (DEC), which weighs up whether the importance of the research outweighs the suffering caused to animals;
• All research is supervised and monitored by an animal welfare body;
• Animal procedures are not possible without a licence from the Central Authority for Scientific Procedures (CCD), as set out in the Dutch Experiments on Animals Act;
• Licences are only granted if there are no other research methods that could be used to answer the scientific question at hand and if the usefulness and necessity of the research sufficiently outweigh the suffering of the animal.