At the beginning of December, Understanding Animal Research (UAR) held their 11th Annual Openness Awards at the Francis Crick Institute. The event also celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research, a set of commitments for life-science organisations to strengthen their communications regarding animal research. The LMB was thrilled to be announced as the first Openness Award winner of the night, in recognition of two significant events held by the Biological Services Group in 2023: participation in a large, public Open Day, and a ‘friends and family’ event.
In July 2023, the LMB held a public Open Day, which attracted over 2500 visitors. One of the most popular activities of the day was a mouse cage change station. Visitors donned appropriate PPE and set up cages with food, water, bedding, nestlets, chewsticks and toy mice. Participating children were engaged with the activity, and enjoyed choosing names for their toy mice, writing these on cage cards, along with birth dates and special instructions for their welfare. Younger children had the opportunity to chat to LMB animal technicians while colouring mouse pictures and making mouse masks. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and several children singled out the activity as a highlight of their visit on the feedback wall at the end of the day.
Ahead of the event, the Biological Services Team prepared several informative posters covering a range of subjects, including how they implement welfare and ethical considerations such as the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, refinement), the role of the Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body (AWERB), and the LMB’s commitment under the Concordat on Openness. They also introduced other animal models with explanations of how alpacas are used to produce nanobodies, and the enrichment designed for rat cages. All the volunteers attended a UAR training session on public engagement, to equip them with approaches to have meaningful, open and transparent dialogue with members of the public.
Following their success at the Open Day, in September 2023 the Biological Services Group hosted a ‘Friends and Family’ event at the LMB’s animal facility. 50 guests were given tours of the facility, and they left with positive impressions of the care the animals receive, an appreciation of the strict regulations imposed on animal use, and a greater understanding of why, when and how animals are used to aid research at the LMB. Technicians had the opportunity to discuss their work, which some had previously found difficult to do with family and friends.
Those who took part in these openness activities were proud to be able to openly share their expert knowledge and discuss their roles within animal research. Many found it a rewarding experience as well as a great opportunity for team bonding. The team are committed to continuing their work in openness and have already put this experience to practice in several instances, including running workshops on animal research for work experience students and producing films showcasing their work. It is excellent to see their hard work recognised with this award from Understanding Animal Research.
Congratulations to the University of Manchester, who also received an Openness Award, and the Association of Medical Research Charities who were highly commended.
Further references
LMB Animal Research
Understanding Animal Research – Openness Awards and Paget Lecture 2024
LMB welcomes over 2500 visitors to an action-packed Open Day