Responsibility for the use of animals in bioscience research: Expectations of the major research council and charitable funding bodies

This document provides general guidance to researchers and associated veterinary and animal care staff using vertebrates (live animals or animal products) in bioscience research funded by the BBSRC, MRC, NC3Rs, NERC and Wellcome Trust. It sets out the expectations of the funding bodies for the use of such animals in research and is therefore also useful to ethics committees, referees and Panel/Committee/Board members involved in reviewing research proposals. Implementation of the principles in this guidance is a condition of receiving funds from the funding bodies.

The guidance covers:

• a summary of the legal controls on animal use
• the responsibilities of the relevant parties
• the principles and procedures of the funding bodies
• the requirements for research or collaborations outside of the UK.

The NC3Rs website and office offer further advice on good practice for the areas covered in this document.