Education requirements

This page explains the legal requirements for education in Laboratory Animal Science for those who wish to plan or participate in animal experiments in Norway.

Information in Norwegian from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority

Many of the researchers, technicians and veterinarians who work with research animals today had to satisfy detailed requirements laid down by the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture which came into force on 1 July 1998 (for researchers and veterinarians) and 1 July 1999 (for technicians). These requirements are described on a separate page. The Norwegian version of this page includes the regulatory authority's practice regarding scientists who took a course in Laboratory Animal Science many years ago. 

The Norwegian requirements for education and training are described in Chapter V of the Regulation on the use of animals in research, and in this summary from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, which are currently only available in Norwegian. The Regulation has also an Annex E (Utdanning og praksis), which lists the subjects that education and training must cover.

Information on courses in Laboratory Animal Science that are arranged in Norway is available here.

The EU Commission har published useful guidance on how to comply with the requirements of the EU Directive 2010/63. Since Norway has implemented most of the Directive through its Regulation on the use of animals in research, this guidance is relevant. It includes A working document on the development of a common education and training framework to fulfil the requirements under the Directive.