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Report 2012–2013 BASEL DECLARATION SocietY Report 2012–2013 EDITORIAL «The Basel Declaration Society – Going Truly International and Promoting Openness» 2013 has been very successful for the Basel Declaration A second major event in 2013 was the BD Conference in (BD) and its Society, which is now firmly established as London on “Transparency in Animal Research: Imple- the international academic grass-root organization for menting Openness in Publication and Communica- researchers working with animals and animal welfare tion”. Stakeholders representing all relevant fields and scientists. The international nature is exemplified by organizations got together for two days of presenta- the recent election of Prof. Ian McGrath (UK and Aus- tions and intense discussions with participants from tralia) and Dr. Guiliano Grignaschi (Italy) to the BD around the world. The two main topics concerned the board- Welcome and thank you very much! improvement of publication standards and open access to the primary results of studies involving animals. The The BD Society and its members are dedicated to an resulting BD position papers (see the BD website) open dialogue with the general public, lawmakers and provide a clear roadmap of how to deal with these other stakeholders on the sensitive issues of research issues. The timeliness of the London Conference is best with animals. We are very happy that the number of illustrated by the current debate on the reproducibility scientists, research institutions and organizations that of the results of biomedical research in the interna- endorse the Basel Declaration has risen tremendously tional press and scientific journals. in 2013 – currently scientists and research institutions in over 50 countries have undersigned the Basel Decla- All these activities would not have been possible with- ration and its principles. The BD Society has an estab- out generous sponsorship. As these and other issues lished network of voluntary ambassadors in more than concerning animal research will keep us busy for the 25 countries. years to come, we hope that you will continue to sup- port the Basel Declaration as society member, donor The importance of this ambassador network became and/or sponsor – your support and engagement will evident in the activities that followed the BD Call for help us to make the difference! Solidarity with the Italian researchers, whose research was destroyed by animal rights extremists. This call Thank you so much for your generous support of the resulted in a strong show of international solidarity Basel Declaration ideals and activities! and active participation of BD ambassadors at public pro-research rallies in different Italian cities. The BD Society office served as an important relay between the scientific community and national organizations such as Pro-Test Italy. This allowed us to rally support for Prof. Dr. Rolf Zeller animal research and the correct implementation of the President of the Basel Declaration Society EU directive. This reach-out strategy is a major activity of the BD Society and aims to establish a network of organizations that promote ethically responsible ani- mal research, the 3Rs (refine, reduce, replace) and edu- cate the general public about state-of-the-art research with animals. BASEL DECLARATION Society Report 2012–2013 BOARD Chairman Board Members Prof. Dr. Rolf Zeller Prof. Dr. Richard W. Bianco Prof. Dr. Gregor Rainer Department of Biomedicine Director of Experimental Surgery Department of Médicine / University of Basle University of Minnesota Physiology University of Fribourg Basle, Switzerland Minneapolis, USA Fribourg, Switzerland Dr. med. vet. Cornelia Exner Prof. Dr. Hansjörg Scherberger Veterinary surgeon specialized in German Primate Center behavioral science and animal welfare Göttingen, Germany Animal welfare officer for the Philipps University of Marburg c/o FB Biologie, Managing Office Germany Astrid Kugler Dr Giuliano Grignaschi Prof.(em) Dr. H.-P. Schreiber Managing Director IRCCS Istituto di Ricerche Bioethik ETH Zurich, Basel Declaration Society Farmacologiche Mario Negri Zurich, Switzerland Milano, Italy Prof. Dr. Hansjoachim Hackbarth Prof. Dr. Stefan Treue Institut für Tierschutz und Verhalten Director, German Primate Center, Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover Göttingen, Germany Hannover, Germany Prof. Dr. Patrick Matthias Dr. Aimée Zuniga Friedrich Miescher Institute University of Basle for Biomedical Research Basle, Switzerland Basle, Switzerland Prof. (em) Dr. Ian McGrath FBPharmacolS FSB Editor in Chief, British Journal of Pharmacology University of Glasgow, UK and University of Sydney, Australia 1 BASEL DECLARATION Society Report 2012–2013 AcTIVITIES AT A GLANce • 19 November 2012 • 1-2 July 2013 General Assembly Transparency in Animal Research – Implementing Openness in Publication and Communication together • 29 January 2013 with Understanding Animal Research (UK) Presentation of the BDS at the EPFIA in Brussels • August 2013 • April / May / June 2013 Basel Declaration Award for Education in Animal Call for Solidarity Research. The young Italian researcher Dr Chiara Ruzza Some 6000 signatures collected in one month from the University of Ferrara, Department of Medical • 1 June 2013 Sciences, won the second Basel Declaration Award for Call and participation in a demonstration in Milan Education in Animal Research. She attended a five-day intensive Introductory Course in Laboratory Animal • 10 – 13 June 2013 Science at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, in Booth at the FELASA Congress in Barcelona August 2013 to gain technical knowledge and practi- cal skills for the responsible and careful handling of laboratory animals before, during and after an animal experiment. She committed to apply this knowledge in her own day-to-day laboratory work, and to pass it on to fellow researchers in Italy. • 19 September 2013 Call and participation in a rally in Rome, Italy • 12 June 2013 Meeting of national animal research defence organisa- tions in Europe Strategic communication and advocacy on animal research together with Understanding Animal Reserch (UK) and Gircor (France) Giuliano Grignaschi speaks at the rally in Rome • 7 October 2013 Call for support of a petition to Italian and EU politicians (more than 12,000 signatures) • 30 October 2013 GOEvol III Symposium on Evolutionary Biology Georg August Universität Göttingen Talk on animal experimentation issues entitled “Basic biomedical animal research – the why, how, when and if” in the context of a workshop on “Bioethics of animal testing & genetically modified organisms”. • 2 November 2013 Participation in a podium discussion at the “festival della scienza” in Genoa • 8 November 2013 Call for support of a petition to Belgian and EU politicians (more than 1300 signatures) 2 BASEL DECLARATION Society Report 2012–2013 TRANSPARENCY IN ANIMAL ­ReSEARCH – ImPLemeNTING OPENNESS IN PUBLICATION AND COMMUNICATION At the conference held in London on 1–2 July 2013, we wel- consistent with publication guidelines, in order to fa- comed more than 100 participants. Four task forces, includ- cilitate high standards of reporting. ing researchers but also representatives from the publishing 2. Open Access to maximise the value of animal research: industry, from various associations, and from animal rights groups intensely debated to come to a common position. The scientific research community, including both the public and private sector, is committed to maximising Workshop summaries the value of data generated from animal research in or- der to enhance the design and quality of future studies. 1. Improving publication standards of research involv- This can be achieved through increased sharing of, and ing animals: access to, experimental design, methodologies, and Despite some successful initiatives aimed at improving non-competitive data. publication standards, a significant proportion of publi- Methods to improve access to this information were con- cations still lack sufficient information regarding the sidered under the following headings: planning, execution and/or statistical analysis of re- search projects. This workshop produced the following Publication of results: There should be standardised and suggestions for improvement; acknowledging that imple- approved guidelines for the publication of research in- mentation of these best practice publication standards volving animals, with opportunities and incentives to will require cooperation from all stakeholders. publish well-designed studies which produce null results. It should be made clear how to access data and materials • A common set of guidelines (concerning the reporting, related to the paper; and raw data related to the publica- design, execution and analysis of research projects) im- tion should be held in a recognised database. plemented across all journals. Funding bodies should require details of publication • Journals should encourage the publication of all de- plans to be outlined in grant proposals; and it should be tails relevant to the research, analysis, and methodol- a requirement for all grants for research using animals ogy; and should require a description of efforts taken to publish something of journal quality. to comply with the 3Rs (thereby making this informa- tion available for scrutiny). Accessibility of resources: Further use of repository and resource frameworks for sharing animal models, proto- • Scientists and editors should cultivate a culture of rig- cols, genetic information, and cross-referenced data orous critical assessment
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