Animal experimentation

The FNRS has signed the Transparency Agreement on animal experimentation. The aim of this agreement is to communicate in the most educational and transparent way possible, so that the Belgian public receives accurate and up-to-date information on the implications of research on animals, including how this research is regulated in Belgium, the role it plays in the overall process of scientific discovery, or the measures taken to reduce the use of animals and minimize suffering and harmful effects on research animals.

Animal testing

The FNRS joined the five universities of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and signed the Transparency Agreement on animal experimentation. The objective of this agreement is to communicate in the most educational and transparent manner possible, so that the Belgian public receives precise and up-to-date information on the implications of animal research, in particular the way in which this research is regulated in Belgium, the role it plays in the overall process of scientific discovery or the measures taken to reduce the use of animals and minimize suffering and harmful effects on research animals.

More information on the Transparency Agreement
Links to university websites:
The 3R principle (replacement, reduction, refinement) in animal testing: european legislation ; RE-place project (Belgium)
Vincent Prévot, President of the FNRS Scientific Commission and Director of Research at INSERM, on the freedom to research and the importance of animal experimentation for scientific research, FNRS Fundamental Evening, October 25, 2023: see his intervention
“What future modes of experimentation for life sciences? », FNRS.news 128: read the article
Magazine investigation Medor : two FNRS research directors denounce the misinformation practiced by the Gaia association around animal experimentation: more information

In a long investigation published in the magazine Medor , Eric Muraille and Alban de Kerchove d'Exaerde, both FNRS Research Directors at ULB, denounce the misinformation practiced by the Gaia association around animal experimentation:

What the researchers denounce is not the ethical questioning, but the “disinformation” practiced by Gaia. Prefer the shocking image of the sadistic laboratory worker to the complexity of reality. They remind us that in labs, it is the rule of the 3 R’s – replacement, reduction, refinement – which prevails. In other words, whenever an alternative to animal testing exists, it must be used.
“In the long term, we may be able to do without animals, but in the current state of things, this is not possible. Without animal experiments, we would not have a vaccine against Covid and we would not be able to move forward as effectively against cancer. recalls Alban de Kerchove d’Exaerde.

“Toxic Bonds – Gaia vs. Science”, Medor , autumn 2024