About Norecopa

Norecopa is Norway's National Consensus Platform for the advancement of "the 3 Rs" (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) in connection with animal experiments. Norecopa was founded on 10 October 2007. Norecopa's slogan is:

PREPARE for better Science

Norecopa maintains this website with 3R-resources. The website consists of approx. 9,000 pages and currently has approx. 350,000 page visits a year. It includes a Refinement Wiki.

Norecopa has produced brochures describing its activities in English and in Norwegian. These and all other information materials may be downloaded and used freely.

Norecopa: the first 10 years (2007-2017)

Norecopa also has a large collection of films on Vimeo, including a 14-minute presentation of Norecopa at the 11th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences in Maastricht (a virtual meeting) in August 2021.

Webinar describing Norecopa (55 mins) by Adrian Smith, 19 July 2021
Poster about Norecopa: PREPARING for better Science

Norecopa maintains an International Meetings Calendar and a Newsfeed, and issues an electronic newsletter 7-8 times a year.  Norecopa also manages a discussion forum for those responsible for the country's animal facilities.

Norecopa has produced the PREPARE guidelines for planning animal research and testing.

Norecopa frequently arranges meetings about the use of animals in research, to advance the 3 Rs.

Institutions and private persons can both become members of Norecopa. The majority of Norwegian research organisations are members.

Norecopa's secretariat is attached to the Norwegian Veterinary Institute in Oslo (more details about the staff). Norecopa is, however, an independent member organisation, with a Board consisting of 4 members (each with personal deputies) representing the 4 stakeholders in animal research:

• Government and regulators
• Industry
• Research and teaching
• Animal protection and welfare

Norecopa strives for consensus between the stakeholders while advancing the Three Rs of Russell and Burch.

Norecopa's highest organ is its Annual General Meeting, which according to the statutes must be held by 15 June each year.

Norecopa is a member of ecopa (European Consensus-Platform for Alternatives), hence the name. ecopa was founded following an initiative at the 3rd World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in Bologna in 1999, and supports National Consensus Platforms for the 3Rs which have representatives of all 4 stakeholders in their governing bodies. A list of the countries with platforms approved by ecopa can be viewed here.

Norecopa has an activity plan, with the following aims:

1. to contribute to increased knowledge of
   • Replacement of animal experiments by alternatives
   • Reduction of the number of animals used in experiments
   • Refinement of animal experiments by reducing suffering and increasing animal welfare, thereby also increasing the scientific value of the results
2.  to function as a national centre of competence and to strive for consensus between the 4 stakeholders
3. to spread information via relevant media, meetings and the like
4. to maintain its own knowledge base about the 3Rs and to make this accessible for everyone

A Path through the Jungle: Norecopas 3Rs Resources (May 2021)

Guidelines for planning and conducting high-quality research and testing on animals (Smith, 2020). Also available in Persian (Farsi) (translation by Anahita Alizadeh, Maryam Kiani & Saeed Shafiei Sabet). 

A flyer about Norecopa (March 2019)

A press release about the new website (03.06.16)

A poster about the new website (September 2016)

A poster about Norecopa (September 2016)

A list of things you can do to assist the work of Norecopa (in Norwegian, designed primarily for Norway's animal facilities)

An article about striving for consensus, and Norecopa's role in this process (in Norwegian)

In August 2009 the subscribers of Norecopa's newsletter were asked what they thought about Norecopa's work (in Norwegian)

This website builds upon resources which were collected by the Laboratory Animal Unit of the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science from 1991-2011.

Tip: click on the logo to return to the main page wherever you are on the website.

Disclaimer:
The development of the content on this website has taken place since 1991 and has been partially funded by a large number of sponsors, to whom we are very grateful. These sponsors have in no way influenced the content or quality of the material on the website. Norecopa is an independent member organisation with a Board representing all the major stakeholders in animal research. Our aim has been to provide selected material (peer-reviewed where available) of high quality which can help to advance the Three Rs.

We hope you find the site useful and we would like to hear from you, regardless of your opinion. Please also contact us if you discover dead links, or resources which you consider deserve a mention on this website.