Applicants must ensure that best practice in relation to animal husbandry and welfare is followed. Where the work proposed is not covered by an existing project licence under ASPA, applicants should put their proposals to the local Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body for review prior to submission and ensure that ethical and welfare issues raised are addressed. Applicants should be aware that the NC3Rs will be involved in the review of any MRC applications proposing to use non-human primates, cats, dogs or equines, providing advice specifically on the 3Rs and animal welfare.
If applicants are contracting out animal research or proposing to undertake any animal experiments as part of collaborative programmes outside the UK, these experiments must be conducted in a way that conforms to the legal and ethical practices in that country, as well as conforming to the standards – including animal welfare – required in the UK. Where standards are different, the more rigorous guidelines will apply. Such applicants are strongly advised to view the Choosing contractors for animal research: expectations of the major UK public funders presentation produced by the NC3Rs, which sets out the requirements of the MRC, and other major funding bodies, with regard to standards of animal welfare and study design, including for preclinical studies at contract research organisations.